Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain
by Okami Kage Hachi
Summary: Before he gave into the darkness, he looked up at the hokages and swore he saw them weeping over their burning village. His dieing heart gave one final lurch, the only thing that went through his mind was, 'I only wish I could have kept my promise.
1. Chapter 1

**OK, like promised, I went back changed a number of things on each chapter. The main being the spelling of the word ANBU and the difference between the Voice and Naruto talking (because everyone had a problem with that). Well, hope you enjoy and see you on the next chapter. Sayonara! **

Part 1

Chapter 1: Foreshadow

* * *

An ominous aura hung in the air. One that puts even the most prepared and skilled shinobi on edge. In truth, most of the twelve some shinobi standing the small clearing were some of the best. In fact they were some of the most elite and strongest of the ANBU. But even they were on edge because of the new aura that hung heavy in the air.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as the tension continued. Not a sound could be heard as the shinobi's patience was tested. The chirp of crickets and frogs, the various calls of birds, even the wind itself seemed to become silenced in anticipation. Finally, the silence was broken with a word.

"Sir...?" said a young man hanging close to the edge of the back.

"Yes, Nukoa?" answered a tall, face scared man in the front.

"Don't you think we should get back to the village sense there is no point to remaining here?" The attention of the lead ninja, along with the attention of the group, had turned to the young and inexperienced ANBU.

"What do you mean, Nukoa?" responded the Veteran ninja.

"Well, sir, to be more blunt. With this strange weather putting everyone on edge and are mission being a..." He cut himself off when he received a glare from the lead ninja. Nukoa cleared his throat before he continued "Besides sir, we've been waiting for many hours now on your suspicions that there will be an attack. And I just have to say that I think you're mistaken. And besides, if you are right, shouldn't that be another reason to get back with are strength and chakra reserves exhausted and all..." Nukoa was suddenly silenced by a strong gale of moaning wind that seemed to have crept into the clearing. The trees swayed and moaned in welcome to the new breeze, but for the shinobi, in the array of sounds put them further on the edge. With the wind rolled in a new set of clouds that blocked the last bit of light that the waxing moon had to offer. The only one who seemed unchanged by the events happening around him was the lead ninja.

Then, as suddenly and quickly as it came, the wind vanished, leaving the group of shinobi standing in the dark. At first, it seemed as if the silence from a moment ago would continue on until a sigh was heard from the lead ninja.

"In some small ways you are right, Nukoa," he said in a cold, but tired voice, "But you are mostly wrong." The attention of the group had now turned to their wise leader, seeming to be relieved by hearing the sound of his voice. "For one, we are too far away from Konoha to receive any kind of help and, as you said before, we are physically expent. So much so that we have no hope of getting back to the village." He paused for a moment as if contemplating on what he had just said and whether he should continue. A slight movement was seen where his hand came to rest on his kunia pouch.

"And besides," he continued, "It doesn't matter if we stay or run, a battle will take place. And ether way, it's most likely that we won't survive." Sadness and fear fell upon every ones faces at the sound of these words. "But if we stand and fight, we might just win this," hope suddenly filled their eyes as they looked up at their leader. "And we can at least say we died with honor defending our village."

A sudden sound that became apparent silenced the shinobi and caused them to stop and listen. It was a heavy, rhythmic sound that was, until that moment, never heard before by any of the shinobi. It was very similar to what you'd expect the sound of leather strapped to a canvas and then pushed down through air would sound like. This beating sound had a rhythmic property to it. It was almost like beating of a drum and just like a drum, there was a small pause between the beats of leather.

But the shinobi weren't paying attention to this, no. Their focus was on the fact that the sound was getting louder and closer.

"Get ready men." was all the leader had time to say. But sadly, they were not even close to ready for what they saw next. The next sound that was heard was a scream of fear and a roar of triumph. Few had time to react as fire rained down upon the unsuspecting shinobi.

After the fire had died down considerably, less than half the shinobi were alive. Two of the survivors included the leader and the boy, Nukoa. The old AMBU leader took in the seen before him very calmly, but Nukoa could tell that he was terrified. After several long moments of silence, the old leader turned to Nukoa.

"Nukoa," he said in a tired voice, "I need you to run as fast as you can to the nearest town and send a letter of urgency to Suna and Konoha."

Nukoa looked at him shocked. "But you said..."

"I know what I said then but you need to listen to what I'm saying now!" Nukoa became frightened and shocked at his words but nodded in response.

"Now, once you send the letters, report back to Konoha, immediately. Understand." Nukoa nodded again but couldn't help but ask the question that his mind kept plaguing over.

"What about you and everyone else, sir." The ANBU turned his back to Nukoa as he spoke.

"We will stay here and try and give you a bit more time." He responded solemnly. Nukoa knew deep down that that would be the answer.

"Now go, Nukoa."

"But sir..."

"GO!"

Without another word, Nukoa retreated into the surrounding forest. Despite the pain in his legs, he zoomed through the forest at top speed, fear and determination driving him on. These factors only increased when an ear-splitting scream cut through the night air. One that reveled two horrific truths: that he was the only one left to deliver the vital information to Konoha and the attackers would soon be on his heels.

* * *

It was one of those rare days in Konoha. One where peace and calm were evident all over the village. Everyone was out and about, going about his or her normal duties and simple enjoying the day. Even children at the academy and ninjas seemed to be enjoying the tranquility. Sense it was the weekend; all the students were off enjoying their break. As for the shinobis, few missions had turned up recently, so most were out enjoying the free time they had. Usually, days like this were a common occurrence in Konoha, but the resent presence of war had made this day a rare treat. But, unforcently, the peace and calm would not last long. Especially if a certain blonde ninja had anything to say against it.

"Will something just please happen already." Came uproar from the former team 7 training ground. Trees shook at the intensity of the voice and birds took to the air squawking furiously, frightened by the sudden sound. Only until the birds were nothing but dots on the horizon, did peace and calm begin to return. But not for a certain loud mouth ninja who was pacing before a very worried teammate.

"Naruto, calm down already," Sai said to his friend in a worried tone, despite the indifferent vistage "I'm sure Kakashi-sempia has a good reason for being late." 'For like the hundredth time' Sai thought to himself. The said ninja was currently watching Naruto from sitting position under the tree, eyeing him wearily as the "blonde idiot" paced in front of him.

"Oh, like, 'I got lost on the road of life' or 'I was saving a cat from a tree'"...

"Or I was summoned to Tsunade's office on an important matter." came a familiar. Sai and Naruto turned to see Kakashi moving up the path towards them, all the while reading his perverted book.

"Your late, Kakashi-sensei," Blurted out Naruto, "and what do you mean by an important matter!"

"Well it is just that," replied the copy-nin, "around twenty or so minutes ago, I was on my way here when I received a message from Tsunade to report for a mission briefing..."

"You mean you leaving to go on a mission." Naruto cut in with a wine.

"No," said Kakashi, an evident grin under his mask, "you are."

For long time, Sai and Naruto just stared at Kakashi. Finally, the silence was broken when a great big grin spread across Naruto's face and he literally started jumping for joy. Sai on the other had was trying to figure out how one person could go from raging mad to heart broken to booming happy all in the space of 10 seconds.

"I can't believe I'm finally getting mission after all this time. I bet it's a really high one, too." Naruto said after calming down quite considerably "Well, Kakashi-sensei, were better go see Tsunade obaa-chan so we can find out when we're leaving."

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm not going."

Naruto turned to look at his teacher, confusion written on his face. "Nani?"

Kakashi gave his student an understanding smile, "I was just sent to inform you, nothing more."

"Well, what about Sai." Naruto said looking over at his teammate.

"He isn't going, ether." Kakashi said in a calm voice. Upon seeing Naruto's disappointed face, he came over and placed a hand on his student's head. "Don't worry Naruto, you'll do fine without us."

"Its not that," Naruto said looking up at his sensei, "It's just that, we never go on missions any more as a team." Naruto remained quiet for quite a while before continuing. "I mean, with Sakura working at the hospital, you and Yamoto sensei always on missions and Sai just sits there like a rock all day, we never get time go on missions." Naruto explained while pointing a finger at Sai.

"Hey, I do not!" Sai said in defense.

"Naruto," said boy looked up at his sensei upon hearing his name, "you're going to have to except the fact that people and conditions change as time goes on." Kakashi said in a serious but sympathetic tone. Upon seeing Naruto's confused expression, Kakashi explained further. "As you begin to develop further as a ninja, certain factors will come into play that will change and effect your friends, your village, even your life." he paused here to think through his words carefully, "The thing is, these factors can not simply be stopped and once they occur, the only thing you can really do about them is to use them to the best of your advantage." Kakashi finished.

"But Kakashi-sensei, what happens to those who can't." Naruto more stated than asked.

"We'll, in something as simple as modern day life, you could lose a reason to live and go on suffering." He said while scratching his chin. "But in cases like in battle or warfare, you could lose everything that is precious to you, including your comrades, your purpose," here Kakashi's voice became cold, "even your own life." A cold breeze blew through the training ground as Naruto stared wide-eyed at his sensei. After a while, the coldness in Kakashi's features melted away into one of warmth.

"Well, that's enough talk for now." Kakashi said in his normal tone. "Well Naruto, you better get going, Tsunade will be mad at you if you don't arrive on time." Upon hearing this statement, Naruto expiration became a panicked one.

"Oh crap, you're right. I have to get going or baa-chan will kill me. Thanks a lot, Kakashi. I'll see you later OK." Naruto yelled out as he sprinted off towards Hokage tower. Kakashi waved after his students disappearing form off as Sai watched the seen with interest.

"You know," Sai said finally. "I don't think a word you said got into idiots thick head."

"Oh don't worry, Naruto got the idea." Kakashi stated before walking over to the memorial stone. 'At least I hope he did,' thought Kakashi as he bent down in front of the stone, 'so he can avoid making the same mistake you made,' he then reached out a hand and traced his figures over the characters that made up one of the names, 'sensei.'

* * *

"Tsunade baa-chan" Naruto yelled as he burst into the Hokage's office. Everyone, of course, looked up at Naruto's intrusion. Tsunade rubbed her temples trying to ease away the newly formed headache.

'Damn it,' she mentally cursed, 'Why does he have to be so loud and I just got rid of this headache from my hangover this morning.' A stream of curse words then continued inside her head as the headache worsened. All while this was happening; Naruto walked up to the desk, slightly panting after his sprint to the tower. He took a standing position in-between the two ninja teams that were currently in front of Tsunade's desk. After a moment of more self-cursing, the Hokage finally spoke.

"I assume your all wandering why I summoned you here." Tsunade stated finally. Everyone gave a subtle nod and for once, Naruto held back one of his rude comments. She took this as a sign to continue on. "Well, as you all are aware of, war will soon break out in Konoha." here she paused for a moment, "So it is vital that we strengthen the relationships that we have with other villages while we still can."

"So, what does that have to do with us?" Naruto blurted. Tsunade ignored this comment and as is she had not been interrupted.

"Recently, one of are closest allies, the people in the land of wind, they sent a group of ANBU to find out about strange activities that have occurred at their most eastern boarder." she paused again to study there faces. "When no news returned, we sent a group of are best ANBU to assist them in out there, but," here she sighed before moving on. "We too have lost word from them recently and are concerned deeply because of it." 'Well at least the council is anyway' Tsunade mentally stated.

Number of recurring pauses seemed to be driving poor Naruto insane. For he had now resorted to taping his finger against his arm in order to keep himself preoccupied. It was growing apparent that Tsunade needed to finish before Naruto blew a fuse.

"This is were all of you come in." Naruto's attention was yet again on the Hokage, interest in his eyes. "I need the nine of you to track down and figure out what has happened to our allies in the field. Once done so, report back and/or send word, depending on the situation."

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama." Came familiarly calm voice.

"Yes, Neji." Tsunade replied.

"Wouldn't make much more sense for a mission such as this to have only two squads instead of an added member." 'Not that I mind.' taking a glance at Naruto.

"Actually, those were my own thoughts as well. I assumed that with skill levels and experience, that a mission such as this would only require the eight of you,"

"Hey, wait a minute." Naruto roared, "Are you saying that skills are worthless. And if that's the case, why am I even here."

"Well if you shut your trap, I'd be happy to explain." snapped Tsunade. Said boy went silent although he continued to fume. The Hokage, meanwhile, took a moment to try and rid herself of the now screaming headache. After a long pause, she continued on.

"Though, soon after sending an important letter to the Kazekage to inform him of the mission and all who would participate, I received a letter back of his opinion. Although he agreed with my decision on the teams, due to recent outcome with the other shinobi sent out, he wished for an extra member to be sent along as messenger of the team." Here, she paused to catch her breath. "He wanted a shinobi that he knew would finish the mission no matter what. Some one he can depend on, who he respects and trusts." Her eyes then came to rest on the blonde shinobi. "Some one, like you."

Naruto's expression was unreadable for quite a while, his eyes squinting at the Hokage's form. Finally, he responded by saying, "So wait. My job on the this is to be a delivery boy." Tsunade was about to respond when he suddenly turned his back to her. "Well you can forget it. I'm not wasting my skills on something as simple as giving a stupid report. I'm out of here." With that, he began to walk towards the entrance.

'Why that little punk.' Tsunade was about to make an even worse comment at the blonde ninja when Rock Lee interrupted. "But Naruto, its more than just a simple messenger job. In fact, it is probably THE most important job on this mission." That stopped Naruto in his tracks and after a long pause he replied with a, "Really."

Rock Lee nodded despite Naruto not seeing it, "Indeed, it will be difficult to accomplish this mission without your assistants." It was quite visible at this point that Naruto was between leaving and staying at this point. Tsunade, of course, could see this and a firm smile became plastered on her face. 'It's time to bring out the trump card.' she thought devishly.

"And by the way, Naruto." she said with a tempting voice, "I took the liberty of speaking to the council about this mission and your role in it. And after talking it over, they have come to the decision," at this point, Naruto had turned his head so that half of his face was showing, she now had his full attention, "that if you complete this mission, they are willing to pass you as a Chunnin."

"Well then what are we waiting, let's move out." Naruto cheered while Tsunade smiled to herself, 'Well, this worked out well. Man, if I knew it worked this well, I would have done it ages ago.' After a while, the Hokage snapped out of her thoughts to address the group.

But, it was quite clear that she was going to have to wait even longer. Currently, Naruto, Rock Lee and Gai were all ranting on about who knows what, while everyone else watched on. Tenten was watching trying to keep herself from running out of the room in embarrassment while Neji eyed them as if they were going to attack him. Kurinai, Kiba (along with Akamaru) and Shino were trying to figure out were they got all this energy from. Hinata on the other hand was twiddling her fingers and trying her best not to faint from being in Naruto's presence. A task easier said than done sense she was standing right next to him.

After a while, Tsunade cleared her throat to continue. Everyone's attention quickly snapped back to her. "Now then, there are a few things I need to discuss before you are dismissed." Her eyes scanned the shinobi to make certain that they were listening before she said anything else.

"First off, I'd like to inform you all everything that has been and will be said is not to be repeated outside this room. After all, if enemies found out about our current position, they would most definitely take to this opportunity to take action. Understood." they all gave a nod. "The next matter of importance is the ranking of the mission. Although it is a simple recognizance mission, a C ranked mission at most, I must warn you here and now. Due to the fact that we have close to no idea to the purpose nor reasoning to why we have yet to receive word, the mission can quickly become higher ranked. Sense we can only speculate it is interference of some kind this mission could easily become a B-ranked or even an A-ranked. So be careful!

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Replied the shinobi.

"Alright then. Sense Gai and Kurinai are the oldest among you they will be in charge of this mission. Understood." Naruto was about to make a complaint but Neji quickly covered his mouth before he could say anything. "Good, dismissed."

Everyone filed out of the room. Once they were all out, Gai spoke up, "Alright then, sense time is of the essence, you all have exactly three hours to assemble your needed supplies and rendezvous at the front gate before we set out for our mission. If we hurry, we'll make it to the edge of the Fire Country."

"Excuse me, Gai-sensei."

"Yes, Lee."

"If time is of the essence, shouldn't we aim for a two hour period of preparation and aim for getting as far as the dessert in the land of wind instead?"

"Ah, you have a point Lee, but instead, how about it only an hour and aim for making it past Suna."

"Excuse me, Gai but may a make a point in saying that I'm also in charge of this mission as well."

"Oh, you are correct, Kurinai-san, so please share with us your opinion."

"Well, sense my team is not used to working at an insane rate. 'And I do mean insane.' I believe that we should aim for an hour and a half of preparation and make a goal of making it past fire country border before dark."

"Ah, that sounds like an excellent idea, Kurinai-san. Alright, you have your orders now move out."

"Hai." Was the only response Gai got before they left in a flash.

* * *

"Alright, I think that about covers all I'll need on this mission." Naruto stated as he finished up the rest of his packing. Although he had just packed the basic needs, he very proud of the job he had done. He felt his pride swell even more when he glanced at the clock. He had around fifty minute to spare."

'And sense I can easily make it the gate in five, I'll have forty-five minutes to spare. Great, I catch up on some extra training.'

'_And maybe learn a new jutsu while you're at it sense you seriously need update to a new one.'_

"Ah, what the hell. Who said that?" Naruto scanned the room but saw no one there. Normally, Naruto would have just shrugged it off, but even as he picked up his things and set out, he couldn't shake off unnerving feeling that preoccupied his mind.

'Man, I've been hearing a voice for several weeks now. I wonder if I'm catching something. I mean I know it's not normal. At least, I don't think it is.' It was, in truth, bad to hear voices in your head. In fact, it usually meant you were going insane.

'Ah man, like I don't have enough going on as it is,'

'_What in the hell are you talking about. Aside from this mission, you have nothing to do. I mean, with all your comrades out on missions, life pretty much sucks for you.'_

"Will you fucking shut up you stupid voice. Can't you see I'm trying to thi.." Naruto was cut off when he realized the situation that he was in. He was currently facing away from his destination. His was in a stance that was very threatening sense he had one fist raised and looked as if he was ready for a fight. He was standing in the middle of the market place with many people staring at him and looking very concerned. Naruto gave nervous chuckle before turned around and began speeding off towards the gates as fast as possible.

'Ah man, that's just great. I hope your happy Voice. Because of you, people now think I'm insane.'

'_Well, technically speaking, it's your fault sense you just had to have that little out burst.'_

'Just great, I get a voice with logic. How ironic' Thankfully, Naruto heard nothing else from "the voice" for the remainder of time it took to get up to the gates. This factor seemed to brighten his mood and it only increased further when he saw that he was the first one there.

"Alright, time for some training." He yelled.

"Actually, your not aloud to train outside the designated grounds." Informed the gatekeeper.

"Why the hell not." fumed Naruto.

"It's saftey precautions for the civilians. You'll just have to find something else to do." Naruto glared at the man for quite awhile before he finally responded with a "Fine, I will." and then promptly sat down, pouting. Now, being that Naruto has a very short attention span, it didn't take long for him to become lost in his own thoughts. But because he was so deep in thought he did not notice the person walking up to him.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." Came a soft voice. Naruto, being the spaz that he is and the fact that he had been hearing a voice for over a month, did what came naturally. He over reacted.

"Ah, what the hell."

A squeak was heard before the person who had greeted Naruto hid behind a tree. It took a while for Naruto to realize what had happened. Once he did, he was mad and embarrassed.

'Crap. Not only did I just scare one of my friends, but I'm now having trouble telling the difference between the voices in my head and in reality.' After a little more self-cursing, Naruto finally decided to go apologize to who ever had greeted him.

He stood up, brushed off the dirt, the walked over to the tree. As he peered around the trunk of the tree, he was surprised to find, "Hinata?" She made a small sound and became instantly stiff. She slowly turned her head so she was facing Naruto.

Her pale eyes and face looked astonished and frightened. At first, Naruto didn't understand why she was so nervous. Sure, she was always nervous around him since she was constantly fainting and blushing in his presnise. He just hadn't realized it until recently (in the form of Sakura taking him aside and knocking some sense into him). But now it felt different and it took awhile for him to realize why.

The space between the two was almost nonexistent, only a few inches separating their bodies. Their noses were barely brushing and his breathe fanning against her lips. Her face was turning a deep scarlet and she was shaking all over. Neither moved from their position, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Their eyes locked and at first it seemed like it would remain that way without interruption.

'_Don't you want to just kiss her right about now?'_ Well, so much for that plan.

Startled, Naruto fell backwards into the dirt. After calming his heart rate, Naruto became very annoyed.

'Why did you freaking do that?' Naruto yelled within his own mind.

'_Do what?'_

'Scaring me when I was talking to Hinata.' Naruto heard laughter in the back of his mind before voice finally spoke.

'_I'm sorry but you weren't talking to her, you were checking her out.'_ Naruto went bright red at this thought.

'I was not.' Naruto argued. He heard the voice chuckle lightly, apparently not convinced.

'_Yeah, right. I bet if I hadn't interrupted you would have kissed her. Not that I blame you. Growl!' _

'What do you mean?' He stuttered.

'_Ah, come on, its painfully obvious without that jacket she would look really sexy.'_ Naruto then heard Voice making very improper animal noises. _'Man, no wonder the hyugas are so protective of her. A dish like her would have been eaten ages ago without it.'_ At this point, Naruto had covered his ears with his hands and closed his eyes, desperately trying to rid himself of the thoughts and images that plagued his mind. Voice, thoroughly enjoying itself, continued on with other various descriptions of Hinata.

Hinata, on the other hand, had watched the whole show commence. She hadn't heard the conversation (thank god), but she did notice Naruto's reactions. Which could explain her concerned face. Whether it was for Naruto or herself was anyone's guess. Regrettably, like the said blonde, Hinata was so focused that she did not notice the persons approaching her.

"Hey Hinata, what's happening." Hinata jumped and made a small sound but didn't hide. Instead, she turned faced her two teammates.

"Konichiwa, Kiba-san and Shino-san. I'm fine." Hinata replied while moving between them and Naruto, blocking their view of him. "Where is everyone else?" Seeming not to notice, Kiba continued on.

"Well, we stopped at Kurinai-sensei's house, but she must have already left. Neji and Tenten are taking there time getting here. Neji said that Guy and Lee are most likely getting some last minute training so it will take them a while.." Kiba stopped when he heard the most unusual sound. It was like coconut hitting a tree. Peering behind Hinata, they were shocked at what they saw. Naruto, realizing his past attempts were fruitless, had started to banging his head against a tree. He was hoping that he could beat the voice and the images out of his head. So far though he was only getting a headache. A stunned silence issued until Kiba broke it.

"Um, Naruto, what are you doing?" Naruto paused in his actions, opened his eyes and looked up. Voice went silent, now focused on the events that were about to unfold. Naruto felt panic well up inside him as realized he had been doing, in front of his friends no less. After a while, Naruto smiled and seemed to revert back to his old self.

"Hey guys, when did you get here?" There was a certain edge in Naruto's voice that was not easily missed. It was evident that Naruto was worried at what their response would be. But he would not get an answer since the rest of the group showed up.

"Is every ready?" Kurinai asked.

"My team and myself are ready to leave, Kurinai-san." Answered Guy.

"Shino and myself are ready but I don't know about Hinata or Naruto." Kiba replied. Everyone turned at this point to eye the two shinobi. Hinata flushed and gave a brief nod, while Naruto remand silent. This took everyone aback, half expecting him to yell and shout out enthusiastically. But he didn't, instead his mind seemed to be distanced, his face puzzled. He was staring at something within Konoha, looking at the faces of the Hokage monument. Despite the fact that there seemed to be nothing there. After a long pause, Kurinai decided to speak.

"Uh, Naruto." Upon hearing his name, he seemed snap out of his trance. After shaking his head vigoresly, he spoke up.

"Oh, um, yah, I'm ready to go I was just thinking."

"Naruto can actually think. O kami, it's a miracle." Kiba said dramatically. Naruto had no choice but to retort.

"Hey, don't be such a hypocrite."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you're an even bigger baka."

"Oh, so you admit you're baka." As much as she was enjoy this "fascinating" conversation, Kurinai knew she had to stop it before it got out of hand.

"Naruto! Kiba! That's enough. We need to get going if we're going to stay on schedule." The two ninja snapped out there argument at the sound of her voice but still retained the bitterness from it.

"Alright team, lets move out!" said Guy said pumping his fist, Lee coping his action. With that said, the ninja took off into the forest in the direction of the sand border. All the while, every one kept to there own thoughts. Even Naruto found himself lost in his own thoughts. Though his were far more sinister.

'That chakra…it was so…powerful…and sudden. I wander if anyone else felt it. Probably not.' He took this opportunity to look at his team. 'Definitely not. But then why was I the only one who felt it. Or was it my imagination?' here, he shook his head trying to clear his mind of the thoughts, 'No, I know I sensed a chakra signature.' 'But still…that chakra…the ferocity...the vengeance… the evil. The only chakra that I've felt that is like it is,' an image came to Naruto's mind at that moment. A large, grotesque body covered in sleek, blood red fur. It was complemented with a long snout with rows of sharp teeth. A pair of red, slighted eyes stared down at him as nine tails swayed in the background. 'The Kyuubi's.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain Konichiwa, my loyal fans. Sorry I didn't say anything last chapter but I'm new to the whole publishing thing (the computer wouldn't let me save certain things). Any way, I wanted to say a few things I didn't get to say last time. First off, don't be fouled by the first chapter when I say that this fic is going to be extremely dark and depressing at times. Second, I plan on updating every other week with this story and my other one, Written in Sand. Finally… well I'll tell you at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 2: Horrors of Dreams

* * *

My heart was racing in my chest, pumping blood throughout every part of my body. My throat and limbs were sore and burning. My body was covered in a thick layer of sweat and blood. I knew I was well past my limit, I had been running for the last twenty hours. But that didn't matter. I had to hurry. I just had to. So much was riding on me making it in time.

Suddenly, the sky became dark as the clouds covered the full moon. The wind died and the air became sickenly still. I came to an abrupt stop as every cell in my being tensed. My senses and heart rate increased automatically, preparing for the fight to come. My mind reviewed every genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu I knew, hoping it would be enough. I was ready; it was only a matter of waiting for my opponent to make the first move.

The minutes seemed to drag on like hours. My body screamed in agony from the physical stress I had and was putting it through. But I refused to look weak, expeitially in front of the enemy. I had to remain focused with so many lives depending on me.

But even as my eyes scanned my surroundings, I became entranced by the landscape. My usually sharp mind became dulled as I took in every little detail. I knew it was a risk to let down my guard, but it couldn't be helped. On any other day, I would love to have layed down and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and moon. To have run through the trees like it was tall grass as they lashed out at my legs. Love to have scaled the mountains; which in comparison to my size were like big, rocky hills.

I was abruptly brought out of my fantasies as I sensed a large object heading my way. Reacting fast, I pushed off the ground and did a back flip. I naroughly missed the black, whip like object that skimmed through the forest as if it were water. The minute I landed, I crouched down into the trees, hoping it was enough hide me.

"That won't work on me, Youko. I know all your little tricks; inside and out." I would know that dark purr of a voice anywhere. Cursing under my breath at my stupidity, I raised my head to address my attacker. A shiver went down my spine as I beheld the figure before me. Even in the dim light I could still make out the twisted features of the opposing creature before me.

Its sleek body once covered in fur was now bare and soiled by what looked ash. The canine features of the face were distorted to a reaptilean like mask. This was more so the case with a row of broken spikes going down its back and elongated neck. Where its ears should be, a pair of horns took its place, three, smaller pair lined its chin. Its dark eyes stared down at me with malice and scorn through a red, slited pupil that were betrayed by a crooked smile of dagger teeth. But the devils wings that were its arms and the seven, whip-like tails twisting in the background obscured all of these features. Despite this, I felt my heart give a painful lurch.

'Akuma, what have you done to yourself?' I shook my head, trying to erase my old feelings for this creature. He was no longer the old friend that I had come to know but rather my enemy. Noticing my actions, its crooked smile grew wider.

"What's wrong, Youko, still feeling remorseful about my choice." My heart gave another lurch but I kept my composer.

"The only thing I regret and that is not finishing you off when I had the chance. But enough talk. You and I both know why we are here." I dropped down into my typical stance; "Now, prepare your self." And charged. The creature swung one of its tails at me but I was to fast. Even with my body protesting against it, I made a leap in the air, avoiding it. When I came to the highest point of my climb, I twisted my body so that I was facing him. As I plummeted back down, I went through a series of hand signs. I hoped it would be enough to finish him off permanently. He lashed out with his tails, but to no avail. Just before the impact, I managed to whisper out; "I'm sorry."

* * *

Naruto woke up in bed screaming, startling every one out of sleep. In an instant, his friends were at his side, drilling him for answers. It was only until Neji quieted the group did the camp grow silent again. As everyone waited for Naruto to catch his breath, their minds raced with hundreds of unasked or unanswered questions. But the one who held the most questions was in fact the one who had remained silent up until that point. Unlike them, she had noticed Naruto's strange behavior before and after the start of the mission.

After some thirty minutes or so, Naruto managed to catch his breath. But before anyone could beat her to it, Hinata was at his side. Resting a hand on his shoulder, Hinata almost whispered, "Naruto are you alright?" As if coming out of a deep trance, he slowly raised his head and stared at Hinata as if she might vanish at any moment. Struggling for words, he barely managed a reply of "Hai" before he began warily scanning his surroundings. As if on queue, some of his other teammates began asking there own questions.

"What happened?" Tenten asked first.

"With what?"

"With you waking up at this time at night and screaming your lungs out, waking all us up in the process?" Almost every pair of eyes gave Kiba a glare. "What?" After a while, every ones attention turned back to Naruto. At this point, Naruto was staring forward with a blank vistage. His pale skin seemed to emanate a faint glow in the moonlight. He gave such a ghostly appearance that Hinata worried that he might slip through her fingers at any moment. Another pause before;

"I had a nightmare."

"About what?" another pause before.

"I don't remember."

"Oh that's really helpful!" Not only did Kiba get another set of glares but also a sharp elbow in the ribs by Shino. Naruto ether didn't hear or didn't care for he only shook his head before he fully answered his teammates.

"I'm sorry I woke you all but its nothing to worry about." They all looked unconvinced, "No, really, I'm fine. It just one little nightmare, nothing all that bad. Just go back to bed."

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun? We could stay by your si-side to make sure you have a good night sleep." Hinata was close to unconsciousness but refused to leave Naruto's side until she was assured that he would be all right.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Hinata. We all have to get up early tomorrow if we're going to be able to reach our destination on time and sadly; the mission comes first." Shino stated.

"Shino's right and besides, it will take more than just some nightmare scare me, Right guys?" most gave a light nod obviously wanting to go to bed. Hinata was unconvinced but upon seeing her crush's foxy grin, she felt comforted.

"Alright, since the baka is fine I say we all hit the hay." With no room for argument, the ninja all lumbered back over to their sleeping bags. But before they could indulge in sleep, they interrupted by another disturbing yell.

"Wake up, my youthful prodigies! A new day has come and we must be there to greet it." Every one moaned and groaned as they got out of bed. Many gave Gai a glare for waking them up with only getting a minute worth of extra sleep. Gai was baffled by there behavior.

"Kurinai-san, why do you think they are not taking up my example?" Kurinai, who had spent most of the night on guard duty with Gai, gave him a dark, look.

"I can imagine that there are many reasons why. The main being that you are so optimistic at such an unsightly hour." Gai continued looking perplexed so he sot an answer else were. Turning to his favorite pupil, who had also spent the night with Gai, repeated the question. Rock lee's face mirrored his senseis and didn't answer for a while.

"I do not know, Gai-sensei. Perhaps they need further inspiration."

"I believe you are right my youthful student." He then turned to his team who had just finished packing up the camp. "Alrighty then, since you all are not up to normal attention, we we'll start off by doubling are pace." Although no one dared to do it aloud, most every one inwardly groaned at this news.

"Gai-sensei."

"Yes, Lee?"

"Since we have already wasted time here, don't you think we should triple our pace?"

"Hmm, I see your point, but how…"

"Oh no, don't you to get started. Your team may be used to setting impossible goals, but mine aren't. So if you think I'm going to let my team drop dead from exhaustion, you got another thing coming!" Kurinai began panting heavily as the group stared at her shocked. After a while, Gai made an attempt at saying something but Kurinai beat him to it.

"Now then, I know it's early but we are going to have to start off with running to make up for lost time." Here she stopped to give two green clad ninja a glare. "When we get near the area of the disappearances we will take the discussed formation. Now, any questions?" Silence.

"Good, lets move out." On command, the ninja sped off into the trees. Many began to wake up after a few minutes, but one seemed to remain asleep. Naruto, through the entire

Ordeal, kept a cool and indifferent facade. It worried and frightened Hinata to no end for he vaguely reminded her of Naruto's old teammate Sasuke. She shook her head trying to rid herself of these disturbing thoughts.

'I can't think that way about Naruto-kun. He's to kind and gentle to ever turn into his teammate.' She took this opportunity to look up at Naruto's handsome but indifferent face. 'But still… I'd better keep an eye on him… since there is definitely something bothering Naruto... and it definitely spells trouble.'

Sakura tossed and turned in her bed, unable to get any sleep. After few more attempts at sleep, she got out of bed and entered her bathroom. Cupping her hands under the facet, to catch the water, she repeatedly soaked her face. Looking up in her mirror, she barely noticed the rings under her eyes or her bed wrangled hair. Regardless of what she did, she couldn't get him out of her head.

Collecting herself for a few minutes, she decided a walk would clear her head. Exiting the bathroom, she scavenged through her clothes to find something suitable to wear. She finally agreed upon a white t-shirt with brown sweats. After all, it was only a short stroll around Konoha.

Locking the apartment door behind her, Sakura stepped out into the cool night air. The streets were unsurprisingly quiet and dark. But Sakura was not frightened in the least bit, even as she entered the more wilderness parts of Konoha. She was a kunoichi after all, and a medic trained under Tsunade, the Hokage herself. Why should she be frightened by any threat by any thief or rapper when she could quite easily send them flying with one punch. So, for the moment, she enjoyed the pleasure the forest had to offer.

But this would not last long. Sakura suddenly bolted to a stop as her ninja training kicked in. Adrenalin began to pump into her body as the animal instinct of flight or fight began to take over. But she controlled these impulses deciding to wait and see what happened next.

One heartbeat…

Two heartbeats…

Three heartbeats…

Yet she still waited. After a while, Sakura decided to try a new strategy. Sighing and shrugging her shoulders, Sakura continued on her walk as if nothing happened. But as she walked along, she kept her senses extra alert in case she caught that faint chakra again. Now, normally, she didn't really pay that much attention to random chakra signatures, but three main factors made her suspicious. The first being that it was too powerful to belong to a civilian. The second is that it was being heavily concealed, which was something only a powerful shinobi could accomplish. The third was why would a powerful ninja walk around its home village concealing its chakra at night? Or the better question was what schemes were being concocted by this dangerous foe at this very moment?

Sakura continued walking, acting as if nothing was wrong. Before she knew it, she was at the old team seven training grounds, in front of the monument stone. Loosing her guard as her fawn memories returned to her, she knelt down in front of it. That moment of weakness was all the intruder needed.

Sakura's body froze as dread and realization shook her. No longer concealed, she knew all to well who that signature belonged to. She slowly turned to face the figure standing only a few feet away in the shadow of the trees. Her heart gave a painful lurch at the sight of the man behind her sleepless nights.

"Sasuke-kun…" she barely said it above a whisper but it still seemed to catch his attention. His dark eyes locked with hers and stayed. Time slowed as Sakura took in her old teammate. It was still the same old Sasuke even after all these years. Sure his features had matured and he now carried a darker aura, but that only made him more handsome. But even under that dark cold mask, her Sasuke was still in there. She noticed that Sasuke was moving his eyes up and down and blushed deeply when she realized why.

'Is he checking me out?' Although she always dreamed of him doing such a thing, she had to consider other possibilities. For all she knew, he could be planning the best way to kill her. After all, that had been his goal on their last meeting when she and Naruto were sent to retrieve him. Sasuke continued eyeing her for the next few minutes before he snapped his eyes back up to hers. Even though she knew she had to take up a defense, she found herself melting under that dark, stormy gaze.

"Hello, Sakura." The way he said her name made her heart flutter in her chest. She felt herself falling for him all over again. Sakura gasped when Sasuke suddenly appeared right in front of her. Her body tensed, preparing for whatever he had in store for her. But she found herself completely off guard at his next actions. Grabbing her shoulders firmly, he brought his face down so their noses were barely touching. He locked eyes with her again, completely entrancing her. Only until he was sure he had her full attention did he speak.

"We need to talk." He stated breaking Sakura out of her trance. It took her a while to process his words but when she did, she gave a light nod. He then released her and walked a few paces away to sit on the dewy grass. Sakura slumped down onto the grass as well, still a bit dazed from earlier.

"What is it you want to talk about?" he didn't look at her as he spoke, instead looking at something in the distance.

"I'm planning on killing Orochimaru and tracking down Itachi and I want you to come with me." Sakura shot her head around to look at him fully. She couldn't believe what he was saying. And what's worse is that he said it as if it were some pleasant topic about the weather.

'This must be a dream; it has to be. Why else would Sasuke seek me out in the middle of the night wanting me to join him on his insane killing spree.' Sasuke waited patiently as Sakura collected her thoughts, calmly staring off into the darkness. It was one of the few times Sasuke had felt at ease in years. Although he would never admit it, it felt nice to be back at Konoha. But before he could even begin to reminisce, he pushed back all his old feelings.

'I have forget my old ties; they were nothing but a burden in my life. Severing ties makes me stronger, strong enough to defeat Itachi.'

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura, who had finally pulled herself together, interrupted him out his thoughts. Sasuke smiled inwardly as he glanced at her figure. 'Well, not all ties are useless.'

"What is it?"

"Why do want me to come with you." Sasuke raised an eyebrow to her, hoping she would get it. When she continued to look confused, he sighed and elaborated further.

"I need some one to help me rebuild my clan and you're the best option." If Sakura wasn't shocked before she was defiantly shocked now. At first, she just sat there with wide eyes and pale features. After a moment though, she got up and began doing a series of actions to convince herself that this was all real. She first assumed that she was still sleeping and did anything and everything to wake. Her next guess was that it was a genjutsu and began repeatedly using the release hand sign. She tried again and again to find the catch behind Sasuke's words but kept coming up with nothing. Sasuke all this while was watching the events unfold with an amused look. When she was finally expent, Sakura came to sit next to him. But by no means was she finished.

"Um… Sasuke-kun." He gave no acknowledgments aside from a nod for her to continue. "I was wondering… why me? Out of all the other kunoichi and women available, why choose me." He took a moment to consider her words before he answered.

"There are many reasons why, the main being that you are a powerful kunoichi and a top medic and thus, perfect for looking after and raising my child." He stated.

"Well, is there any one else you can think of who is better suited for the job." Sasuke gave her an intense look.

"You are definitely not the same Sakura I knew back in our genin days. The Sakura I knew would have jumped for a chance like this." That was true. The old Sakura would have never turned down an offer like this but she was no longer the weak little girl he left on the bench.

"People change, Sasuke. For instance, the Sasuke I know would never intentionally harm his comrades."

"Is that why you aren't interested to my proposal?" She nodded and he sighed.

"At first that was my intention but after seeing how far you had come, I decided you could have a better use. And as for answering your first question, I did have some one else in mind."

"Who?"

"Her name is Karin, she is one of Orochimaru's subordinates and is a very skilled kunoichi. I originally chose her because she is going to assist me in tracking down Itachi and has shown a fawned interest in me."

"Why not choose her over me?"

"She has been around Orochimaru too long and has become cold of heart because of it. She may care for my child but she would never be able to truly give it what it needs." He turned to eye Sakura fully. "I need to be assured that the mother of my heir would be able to supple it with everything it needs regardless of the circumstances."

'In other words, he wants some one who will actually love the child and be willing to do anything to protect it.'

"What will happen to Karin once your brother is dead?" He shrugged lightly, seeming not to care.

"I hold no ties to me, once she and the other two subordinates are done, they can do whatever they want with their lives."

"What if Karin and the other two want to stay?"

"I highly doubt that Jugo and Suigetsu have any interest in staying afterwards but if they decide to stay and help in raising the child, I won't mind. As for Karin, so long as she doesn't get in the way, she can stay." Sasuke noticed Sakura continued to look uneasy, in was obvious that she would be very uncomfortable being around Orochimaru's former subordinates. Whether they were loyal to Sasuke or not.

"But I assure you," he said with certainty and malice dripping from his voice, "if any of them do anything to harm you or the child, I will not hesitate in killing them." Sakura didn't know whether to feel touched or appalled. She and Sasuke continued to sit in

silence, nether wanting to beak it. After a few seconds, Sasuke stood up and stared off at the horizon.

"It will be dawn soon so I need an answer now." Sakura didn't believe him at first, but at seeing the small rays of sun lick away at the horizon, she knew it must be true. Where had the night gone? It was as if the hours had turned into minutes and now she was out of time.  
And now she had to make a life changing diction. To go with Sasuke in order to raise his child and hopefully convince him to return to Konoha in time or stay and keep fighting to bring him back. She tried considering her other options, all of which required her to stall or send some signal of Sasuke's return. But they were all cast aside since they would all end in him leaving without a trace or worse, her death. After considering all the pros and cons, she made her choice.

Standing up herself, she walked over until she was right in front of him. Bowing her head and swallowing her pride, she said. " I'll come with you."

"I'm glad you made the right choice." He stated in a pleased tone. Sakura looked up and was awestruck to see the hint of a smile on his face. But an indifferent mask quickly replaced it.

"Will you need to bring anything with you?" he asked.

"I have some medical equipment that could be useful and I need to get different clothing." Looking down at her now soaked attire thanks to the morning dew. Sasuke eyed her again for a minute before he stated. "Be quick."

She took this as a sign to leave so thus she turned around and began sprinting back to the village. When she came to the more urban part of the village, she slowed to a fast paced walk. Although she acted as if she didn't notice, she could clearly hear Sasuke trailing a few feet behind her. It only took her a few minutes to reach her apartment door and it took even less time to open the door. The minute she passed the threshold, she scrambled around the house, collecting anything and everything that could be of use on her trip. When she had a considerable load she went to her room and began sifting out the essential items. She made sure was thorough since she would most likely not be coming back.

"Are you done yet?" She shouldn't have been surprised seeing Sasuke at her door way but it did none the less.

"Just about." Sasuke gave an impatient scowl while Sakura chuckled to herself.

'Be a little more patient, will you, jeesh! You're almost as bad as Naruto…' It was then that she realized the flaw in her plan. She would never get a chance to say good-bye to Naruto, Kakashi or the rest of her friends and family. Not without revealing what she intended to do.

In an act of desperation, Sakura scrambled to her desk and pulled out an empty scroll. Dipping it in the still fresh ink from the night before, she began to write. But before he could even finish a sentence a hand grabbed her wrist, smearing the paper with ink.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked in a warning tone.

"Writing a good-bye letter to all my friends so they know were I am." Sasuke's grip tightened in response and it was clear that he didn't agree with her idea.

"You don't need to do such a thing, it will become quite clear in time where you disappeared to." At this point, Sasuke had leaned down so his mouth was right next to her. This made it almost impossible for Sakura to think strait. But she was determined and nothing was going to stop her from getting the job done.

"I know but I rather they heard it from me than some hunter-nin." Sasuke's grip, which had loosened only a few moments prier, intensified to the point that Sakura thought he might break it. But ignored the pain and continued on. "Please, Sasuke-kun. I know that this asking a lot and you trust me but I just want to say one last good-bye to every one before I leave. Let me do this and I won't go against you ever again. I promise." She hoped that her pleas would be enough to sway him even though it had not worked in the past. Surprisingly, Sakura felt Sasuke's grip loosen and vanish.

"Be outside in the next five minutes or I'm coming back in to get you, whether your ready or not." And just like that, he was gone. Sakura opened her drawer and took out a new scroll. Setting it out on her desk and dipping her brush in the ink, again, she hesitated before beginning to writing. Pouring her heart and soul into the letter, she barely noticed Sasuke's presence until his hand was on her shoulder.

"It's time to go." Signing at the bottom she nodded. Walking over and picking up her bag she got a second look at herself in the mirror. Having no time to change, she was still wearing the t-shirt with soaked sweats. Sasuke, of course, noticed her stalling.

"You can change when we get to the base." Nodding briefly, she continued on out of her apartment. She felt a tinge of regret as she closed her apartment door, probably for the last time. The two walked side by side until they reached the gates. When they reached them, they snuck through the guards' defenses without even alerting them. Sakura gave one last faithful look back at her home, feeling tears begin to form in her eyes.

"It's hard at first but in time… you learn to forget the pain." Sakura swung her head around to look at Sasuke fully. He held the same old indifferent mask that he always wore. He gave her a questioning look.

'Did he really say that to me or was it my imagination.' She gave him a soft smile and he abruptly looked away. Sakura felt her heart sink. 'Maybe not but at least it was a nice thing to say. And besides… even though I'm leaving behind everything that has meaning to it… all take anything life give me,' At that precise moment, she and him jumped through the trees into the bright sunlight of dawn. At that moment, for Sakura's eyes only, the rays of sun played shone off his hair and face, making him look like a dark angel. 'So long as I can stay by Sasuke's side.'

* * *

**All right, getting back to what I was saying earlier:**

**Please review or my mistress won't give me my sketchbook back. *Sobs***


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey people, its Okami Kage again, coming at you with another chapter. OK, to give you fair warning, I telling you now that this is the last chapter in part one were things aren't depressing. Also, this will be one of the major fluff chapters so enjoy. And just so you know, the main pairing is Naruto and Hinata along with acational Sasuke and Sakura (shown in the last chapter). Well that's all I have to say for the moment so read and enjoy.**

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 3: Heart to Heart

* * *

It did not take long for the group to reach their destination. It may have been due to the fact that Kurinai was running the show or that the weather had been uncharacteristically nice. But, none-the-less, the made it to the border of Suna by midday without any problems. Sure, they were all tired after three long days of travel, but they were none the worse for wear. All, that is, except one.

Thankfully, Naruto was no longer acting like a cold, emotionless teme. In fact, that only lasted the first half hour of travel. After that, he began becoming more and more alert as the day progressed. Hinata, and the rest of the group for that matter, hoped he would be his old self in no time. Unforcently, fate was being exceptionally cruel. Although he continued to become more alert he also became nervous. He constantly would scan his surroundings and would jump at anything that surprised him. As you can imagine, it was quite annoying for his team when Naruto started getting scarred by his own shadow. Actually, one person did find it amusing.

"Ah!"

"Naruto, do you have to keep doing that!" Kurinai had been on a short fuse to begin with and Naruto's antics didn't help it.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that Kiba snuck up behind me." She turned her gaze to Kiba, who was looking quite pleased with himself with a big grin on his face. Unlike the rest of the group, Kiba was very entertained by Naruto's show. And seeing this as a once in a lifetime opportunity, he was taking full advantage of it.

"Hey, it's not my fault Naruto is being so jumpy." Kiba managed to chuckle out before he burst out laughing. That is until Shino elbowed him in the ribs again. Hinata would have given him a glare but was tied up at the moment calming Naruto down. She was the only one who seemed suited for the job since her calm and patient attitude seemed to be the only thing that Naruto didn't jump away from.

After Naruto was well enough, they continued onward, keeping there senses tuned to anything out of the ordinary. Since the whole point of the mission was to find the missing sand and leaf ninja, and (if they were still alive) escort them back home safely, that became purpose behind teaming up Kurinai and Gai's groups. Normally, team eight would take up the front so as to be able to track better and Gai's team would take the sides and back so to better protect the group. But having Naruto in the group changed everything. Instead, they took the following formation. Kurinai, Shino and Kiba took the front so as to be able to catch any sign of their target while Gai, Rock Lee and Tenten remained in the back to better prepared for an enemy attack. Neji and Hinata remained in the middle near Naruto so as to better protect him with their Byuakugan and gentle fist style techniques. He did, after all, have the most important part as "messenger boy".

Several minutes pasted and at first, most thought that the silence was here to stay. But Kiba, had by no means, given up on his prey. Kiba watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye, just waiting for his guard to drop. Finally, he saw his chance and began to move in for the kill. Shino saw what was to come and tried to stop his teammate, but it was to late. In the blink of an eye, Kiba appeared behind Naruto and promptly pushed him while giving off a frightening yell. Naturally, Naruto screamed and sprinted off in a bust of dust to find a secure place to hide. Thinking they were under attack, everyone got into a defensive stance. But they soon realized it was only Kiba being a jerk again when they heard his laughter. He continued laughing even when Kurinai smacked him over the back of the head.

"Kiba, I hardly find it funny that you scared Naruto so badly that we now have to waste time finding him." He looked up at her for a few moments before started anew with his laughing fit.

"No… you don't get… the look… on Hinata's face… it's priceless." Every one turned their attention on her and many had to hold back their own laughter. As I stated before, Naruto had been so frightened that he had seeked out the safest place (or in this case, person) to be. For reasons that no ones understanding, Naruto had latched on to Hinata in a vice like grip as if she was his lifeline. Hinata, all this while, stood wide eyed and beet red, desperately trying to stay conscious. It was not only the cutest but also the funniest seen you ever did see and it was enough to make everyone burst out laughing. All but Neji, who was giving Naruto a repressive glare. While the rest laughed their heads off, Neji approached the two with as much self control as he could muster.

"Naruto," he said in a self contained but irritated manner, "although I highly respect you as a shinobi in many sense of the word and it's thanks to you that I'm the man that stands here before you today, it is my job inform you as close friend and member of the branch family to please let go of Hinata." Neji's words seemed to get through for Naruto snapped his head up to look at Neji, Hinata and himself before releasing her. Neji noticed that after releasing her, that Naruto turned a deep crimson that rivaled his cousins and chuckled lowly at the sight.

It took everyone quite a while before they could catch their breath from laughing for so long. When they did, Kurinai was the first to speak.

"All right, I think it's about time we stopped and had some lunch." She said while looking up at the sun.

"Don't you think that is a little dangerous, we are in unknown territory and we could be attacked." As always Shino saw the logical side of it all. Kurinai nodded in response before she answered him.

"You have a point; there for, if we are attacked during are stop, we are to split up into assigned groups and meet back here at sun down. If you cannot find your way back in time or you are unable to lose your pursuer, head for Suna and wait out there until further notice. The groups will be assigned as such; Neji and Tenten are together as are Gai and Lee. Kiba, Shino, you're with me and Hinata and Naruto are the last group. While we are having lunch, I want you to keep a constant visual on your group members. Any questions?" Upon hearing that the two of them will be together, Naruto and Hinata both went bright red. Surprisingly they were not the first to criticize about the groupings.

"Excuse me, Kurinai-san, wouldn't it make more since to have groups of three so we are grouped evenly?" Tenten inquired.

"Hmm, you have a point there. Very well then, Neji will be with Naruto and Hinata while you'll be with Lee and Gai." Tenten's face went pale for a minute before she spoke in a shaky voice.

"Actually, I'm OK with the previous pairing." Kurinai chuckled at her response.

'That's what I thought. Actually, I did it this way so Naruto and Hinata could spend more time together.' Although Kurinai was the most mature and restrained of the group didn't mean that she couldn't scheme and concoct ways of torturing people.

The rest of the break time was mostly uneventful. They unpacked and prepared lunch quickly and sat in a comfortable silence for the remainder of the break. Sure, the occasional conversation would start up but it would usually fallback into silence within a few minutes. When the food was ready, it was evenly distributed and they ate. Only until the last person was served did a true conversation start up. Before you knew it, every one had forgotten their worries and was indulging in the joys of each other's companies.

But, as you can expect, Naruto stayed out of it all and instead stared off into the distance. Finally, when he was finished with his lunch, he put down his civil ware and said, "I'm going for a quick walk, and I won't go far or be gone long." With that said, he walked off. Hinata looked after him longingly, fighting with the decision to following him or not. Seeing her student's distressed face, Kurinai leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You know, I did give an order to stay close to your partner and keep an eye on him." Hinata swiveled her head around and looked up hopefully at her sensei who only gave a motion to leave. Not missing a beat, Hinata excused her self and dashed off to were she had last seen Naruto scamper off to.

It didn't take her too long to find him even though he had crossed a few miles in the short time he was gone. Of course, it helped that she had her Byuakugan. Hinata approached him slowly, still unsure of what she should say or do.

"What are you doing here, Hinata?" She jumped, not expecting him to know she was there since she had made no attempt to alerting her presence.

"I came to keep an eye on you, Kurinai-san gave us orders to stay near our assigned partners and intend to do just that." She stated before coming to stand beside him.

"I appreciate that, but I fine. I just need some time to think alone." At this point, Hinata would nod in understanding and walk away, to shy to confront him. But the years had changed Hinata and she was not about to walk away when her life long crush was truly in desperate need of a friend. Digging deep within herself, she built up every bit of courage she could muster.

"Well, maybe you-you would like to share some of those thoughts with me." Naruto turned to her and now Hinata got a good look at Naruto's eyes. She cringed at seeing all the pain and torment built up inside him and wandered how he could handle it. He opened his mouth to speak but Hinata stopped him, knowing he would just give her comforting lies that would hurt them both latter. "I know that you are in pain, Naruto-kun. You've been in pain ever since the academy days, maybe even before then. I know you don't say anything about it and I haven't ether because I was too shy to confront you. But seeing you in this much pain and how it's affecting you is too much. I know you don't want to talk about it but you need to. Can't you see it's destroying you?" Hinata almost shouted the last part and if that weren't enough, tears began to form as a result. Naruto, meanwhile, stood stunned by her display and for the first time in his life he was speechless.

'When in the world did Hinata learn to talk like that? The Hinata I knew would only manage to get out a half stuttered sentence that was never above a whisper.' He waited until she had gained her composure before he tried to speak again. "Hinata, I… I don't know what to say, if I knew it was bothering you I… " Naruto couldn't seem to find away to end his sentence but Hinata understood. Sitting down on a large rock she motioned to him to come sit down next to her. He gladly obliged her.

"I guess I should start at the beginning, but…" he sighed and Hinata worried that she would have to interrogate him again. 'I don't know if I can do something like that again… I'm still feeling winded by the last one.' But Naruto surprised her when he continued on.

"Hinata… what I'm about to tell you is something that is really personal and I'm just…" He paused for a moment before he started a new. "Before I say anything, I want you to give me a solemn promise not to tell anyone. Not Neji, not your teammates, not anyone." Hinata was about to agree but he continued on, "Also, regardless of what I say, I want you to just stay with me until I'm finished. Can you do that?" Naruto was staring into Hinata's eyes and it was making it hard for her to think strait. She composed her self and firmly fixed her gaze with his.

"I'm your teammate, Naruto. And as such, it is my responsibility to be there for you regardless. So I promise I will stay by your side until you want me to leave and once I leave not to tell a soul of what occurred here today. And when I give my word, I keep it. That's my nindo, my ninja way." Naruto smiled at the familiar statement and his eyes sparked in a way that Hinata never had seen them before. Hinata felt her cheeks grow warm and her heart flutter in her chest. For that moment, time slowed and it seemed as if nothing else matter accept her and Naruto.

"OK, I'll tell you." Naruto's words broke the spell and she had to blink several times to shake off the affects. Naruto continued on, completely oblivious to what had just occurred. "You remember the mission I went on to retrieve Sasuke?" Hinata nodded, still blushing furiously.

"Well, a few days after we came back from the mission I started having these horrible nightmares that plagued me each time I closed my eyes."

"Like the one you had last night?" he nodded.

"Yeah, and just like it, the minute I wake up in a cold sweat screaming, I couldn't remember a thing about it. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get rid of them."

"That's awful, Naruto. What you do?"

"Well, at first, I tried not sleeping at all. I thought if I didn't sleep, I couldn't dream, solving the problem. But after almost falling asleep at a training session, I knew I had to think of something else." At this point, Naruto was scratching his head sheepishly and looking embarrassed. "I tried dream catchers, herbal remedies and even tried an old ritual to scare demons off that caused nightmares but nothing worked. I thought I was going to go insane from lack of sleep and what's worse; my teammates were getting suspicious. But one night, after going to bed and waking up the next morning, I realized that I had finally gotten a descent night's sleep. I thought the worst was over but I…." He cut off, hesitating in what to say next. His expression became serious and he seemed to become lost in thought. But before Hinata could ask, he had started up again.

"The nightmares returned after a few days, this time more intense. But this time, I could actually remember bits and pieces."

"Like what?" She asked sounding hopeful.

"Well, the only thing I remember is that I was like watching it as if I was experiencing it… but it wasn't me who was… it some one else. I don't know how to explain it right."

"It's all right, just tell me what you remember."

"Well, I remember running… I don't know why or where I'm going … but I do know it's for something important. Another time, I remember training at this field and being attacked. Another time…" But he stopped and looked hesitant about continuing.

"It doesn't matter." Hinata began to interrupt him but he stopped her. "I really appreciate it." He stood up and she mirrored his movement, some part of her dreading the moment when there time ended.

"It was nothing."

"No, it was something." He said while grabbing her shoulders and looking her strait. "Up until this moment… I-I've never talked about my problems before because I always was on my own and had to be tough. But after talking to you… I feel like I don't have to always carry the burden alone. And it feels… nice." As he said this a true smile formed on his face making Hinata's heart race.

"I'm glad." Then their eyes locked and each of their breaths stilled. Naruto felt unknown emotions begin to flow into every part of his body. Those strange moonlit eyes seemed to cast a spell on him and he found himself leaning his head down to hers. When their noses touched, he hesitated, unsure of what to say or do next.

"Hinata," he finally said, "I want to tell you another secret of mine… something that you need to know." They could feel their breaths on each other and it was sending shivers down both their spines.

"What is it, Naruto?" She distantly answered. Naruto struggled with the right words. It 'Crap, how am I going to tell her that I'm the container of Kyuubi.' It wasn't like telling Sakura, who was his old friend and teammate. He didn't even know how she would react. But had to be fair to her after her being so honest and loyal to him. And he didn't know why but he felt like he could trust her.

"I… I'm…" but his mouth couldn't seem to form any words as he became hypnotized by her eyes. They offered promised of things he had never had: protection, warmth and something else. This unnamed promise made his heart stir and a new emotion form. It was similar to the one he had felt previously for Sakura but yet stronger. But thoughts became nonexistent as Naruto leaned in to take in her sweet sent.

Suddenly, a chilling wind blew in and dark storm clouds blotched out the sun. Naruto tensed and a cold shiver went up his spine. Letting go of Hinata and taking a few steps back, he looked up at the sky in fear.

"Naruto, what's wrong…"

"We have to go."

"Nani, why do we…"

"No time to explain, just follow me." Before Hinata could ask further, Naruto took off running. She called after him but he kept going and she was forced to follow or risk loosing track of him. Hinata was still tired from travel and Naruto's quick recovery rate made it hard for her to keep up. It was only her sheer determination that kept her going.

Hinata became worried as time passed, the terrain becoming less dessert like and more mountainous. She wondered if their teammates would be able to find her and Naruto or if they she would have to convince him. She suddenly saw her chance as a bend in the path appeared up ahead.

Naruto turned the corner sharply and froze in place at this new sight that greeted his eyes. Hinata caught up to him and at first was confused when seeing the horrified expression on his face. But when she followed his gaze, she became more pale than usual and quickly turned away. They stood there for the longest time; both too horrified or shocked to move. With in a few minutes, their teammates came looking for them and it didn't take them long for they were still planted to the same spot.

"Hey guys." Said Kiba while walking up to them. "You had us worried there for a moment. Hey, what's the matter you guys look like you've seen a…" But he never did get to finish for he and every one else's gazes came to rest upon the scene before them. An eerie wind blew through making the scenery before them all the more terrifying. Finally, some one managed to find his voice but only managed to say; "Taihen!"

* * *

**Well, there you go. Oh and incase any of you care to know, thanks to the lack of reviews, mistress has been holding my scetch book and because I haven't been able to draw, I've been having some major writing block. So, if you want to me to keep typing this fan fiction, please send a review. A simple it was good or bad will suffice and I'm even up for flames at this point. Also, if you have any ideas for the story in the long run, I'm willing to listen. Who knows, I might like what I hear.**

**P.S. Please Review**


	4. Chapter 4

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 4: Choices

Blood. It covered the clearing dying it a hellish crimson. Even the trees, slightly burnt, were stained by the unsightly color. Many of the ninja, who were somewhat experienced in the ways of battle, had never seen such a horrific scene. But it wasn't just the sight that turned their stomachs, oh no, it was also the smell of decaying flesh that wanted to make them vomit.

Finally, with some effort, Naruto stepped forward into the clearing. Hinata, her face buried into his back, followed him while trying desperately not to faint. Soon, the others followed suit and began to examine the area in confusion.

"What happened here?" Kiba stated while holding down his lunch from the stench.

"It looks like a battle took place, maybe between our allies and an enemy ninja," said Tenten while stepping over a large toppled tree. "The only question I have is where are they all are now?"

"I think I know." Said Neji suddenly looking sick. He was staring at Tenten's feet and in all truth; he looked like he would rather have not seen whatever it was. I curiosity, Tenten looked down and became instantly pale. I few seconds later, everyone heard a scream and turned their heads to the source of the noise. It was Tenten, who was currently lying on her back after tripping over the log.

"What is wrong, Tenten?" Lee asked and she replied by pointing to something that was on the other side of the log.

Upon looking, many looked away, appalled. There, crushed under the tree, were the burnt, skeletal remains of a person. And not just any ordinary person for lying next to it was a slightly melted Konoha hitae-ate.

"Well, we can now safely say that we found our missing ANBU." Kurinai stated.

"Yes but where are the rest?" Gai implied as he took a thoughtful pose.

"I rather not find out." Tenten had now gotten up and was now looking close to fainting or vomiting. Or both.

"They're over here," Shino was standing a few feet away near one of the few standing trees, "But I suggest that you refrain from looking, it only confirms what we already know." Despite his warning, everyone walked over to Shino to investigate further. As they passed him, many noted that even though his emotionless façade remained the same, he seemed to be physically shaking.

Once the turned the corner, many had to turn away, unable to take the sight. Some were so sickened that their stomachs couldn't take it any more and promptly threw up. The senseis stood shocked, all there years of experience meant nothing at that moment.

Before them were the remaining Konoha ninja. But it was hard to say such a thing for the only identification was the now burnt, melted or broken hitae-ates that littered the field. Any other evidence of identity was now burnt to ash or to a black skeletal form. Or worse, spread across the battlefield as clumps of flesh.

They all remained immobilized until Naruto again stepped forward. But this time, Hinata didn't follow.

'I've seen this before… but from where?' He continued to walk through the carnage, his eyes barely glancing over it. 'It feels like I'm in a dream… a dream I can't wake up from.' Suddenly, realization hit him like a ton of bricks and he stopped in horror. 'Could it… could it be that I've seen this all before in my nightmares? And if so, does this mean I can see the future?' He shook his head. 'No, those nightmares… were of the past… of someone else's past.' He nodded seeming to agree with this thought. 'But does this mean… that history is repeating its self.' Naruto was about to think further on the subject until the wind changed direction. He felt a chill run up his spine and before he could think through it properly, his legs moved on their own accord in the direction of the wind. By the time his teammates noticed him running off, it was already too late.

* * *

Naruto didn't know where he was going, only that some unforeseen force was pulling him on. As he ran on he noticed that the scenery revert back to sandy dunes from before. In fact, upon expecting the sun, he realized that he was heading in the general direction of Konoha. Once the rocky outcroppings were well behind him, he slowed down to a walk and started a further search. For what was what was still puzzling him to no end.

Abruptly, a flash of green caught his attention and he turned to see an oasis off in the distance. A bit curious and feeling thirsty, he headed towards it. Sure it crossed his mind that it could be an illusion and his senses were just playing tricks on him, but what did he care. After hearing a voice in his head and beginning to have serious de'ja vu for the portion of this mission, why should he be surprised by a little sand and sun tricking him? But he was ecstatic to find that the oasis was real.

Bending down near the waters edge, Naruto cupped the water into his hands and began to drink. Before he could fully indulge in the spring though, a groan from behind caught his attention. Spinning around rapidly and drawing a kunia out, he prepared for the worst. Or, at least, he thought he was. There, only a few feet away was a ninja wearing a black cloak and a cracked lizard mask barely covering his face.

'Oh my god, he must be one of the missing ANBU! What happened to him? He may not be as bad as his buddies since he's still alive and all, but man. He looks like he went to hell and back.' Naruto did have a point. Although still alive, he was still covered in burnt marks and cuts. His cloak was covered in dried blood and the sand underneath was a deep sable color.

When the man gave another groan, Naruto was at his side in an instant.

"Hey man, are you OK?" It was a stupid question but it did get the man's attention.

"Water…" he managed to croak out. Naruto nodded and reached for his water keg and filled it with spring water. Removing the mask, Naruto placed the tip on the man's lip and he gratefully drank. When the keg was empty, Naruto placed it aside and got down to asking the important questions.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" The man took a moment to catch his breath before beginning. When he did, his voice sounded wary, soft and unused and he spoke as if it was the last thing he would ever say.

"Are you a Konoha ninja?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, I was sent here to retrieve the missing ninja from Konoha and Suna."

"Is any one else with you?"

Well, there's around eight others but they're not with me at the moment." He seemed to sigh and the look that appeared in his gray - blue eyes made Naruto feel worried.

"It started out as a simple mission. We had only become ANBU a few months prier and this being my teams first mission as one; Tsunade-sama saw fit to assign us with more experience ninja. That way, it would be easier for us to pick up the ropes." He paused for a moment. "The mission was simple; head to the eastern part of Suna and find out the goings on there. And while there, find out what happened to the missing Suna ninja and assist them in any way."

"A few days travel took us to the exact location where the Suna ninja were last reported, but there no sign of them. After sending information back to Konoha, we decided to split up to better our chances of finding them. Four of us, myself included, headed south while the other five headed north. After scanning the entire southern coastline and found nothing, we headed back north to meet back up with the rest of our group. But when the rest didn't show up at the meeting spot, we decided to send for reinforcements, just in case. When the reinforcements showed up but the rest of our group didn't, we decided to head north. That's were everything went wrong." Naruto saw a spark of fear appear in his eyes before it vanished.

"We did find our teammates but only two were alive. And they were in the same situation as am now. Close to dead." Naruto realized now that this could the last moments of his life and he was spending them remembering the events that led up to this moment. "When we got them bandaged up and fed they went on about this insane story about these large, black, flying thing and if we didn't leave soon, we would end up just like our teammates. Of course, we thought the desert heat had gotten to them. So, instead of heeding their warning, we decided to spend to stay the night and continue our search in the morning." He stopped for a moment and started to lick his lips in thirst but when Naruto offered the canister he denied it.

"My teammates and myself woke up in the middle of the night with chills running up our spine. We all assumed that we were imagining things but decided to sweep the area just to be safe."

"I was scanning near a more mountain like terrain when the heard the explosion. When I got into camp, the whole ground was destroyed and scorched. We knew that some one had attacked us but the way the damage had formed made it hard to identify who did it. But the funny thing about it was that it looked like it had come from the sky and the fact that a chemical acid covered the entire scorched area.

"We continued to puzzle over the evidence until we ALL felt another chill go up our spine. It was then noticed how quiet it had gotten. Typically, the forest is bustling with the noises of animals and the desert wind. But it was like the forest had stopped to see what would happen next." The man was shaking at this point."

Everything became a blur after that. I remember hearing a whistling sound and then… screams and bright lights and then explosions a-and… burning pain and and…"

"Wow man, take a breather and have some water."

"No, I need to tell you what happens next." Naruto wanted to argue but felt for once that he should just keep his mouth shut.

"When the smoke cleared, all of us were still alive but mortally injured. That's when we took up a circular formation to prepare a better attack. At this point, I suggested that we head back to Konoha our leader, Ibiki Morino, said we had to stand and fight. That's when that monster… no, demon attacked."

"When the smoke cleared, more than half of our group was gone. Ibiki knew that we had no chance at beating it so he told me to run and report what we had saw to Konoha and Suna. But those things caught up to me and…"

"There were more of them?"

Yeah, two big black ones and a few small yellow ones. There could have been more I was so focused on escaping that I didn't check. But I do know that they almost had me but they suddenly stopped when I reached the dessert. I didn't, though, until I reached this oasis were I fell unconscious. That is till you showed up." He gave a cough and Naruto again offered him water, which he denied.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Well… you can tell Tsunade-sama and Garra-sama what I told you just now and also…"

"Wait, you can tell them yourself, once we get you bandaged up and back home…"

"No, I've reached my limit…" he coughed again, this time blood began to trickle down his lips. "Besides… I much rather die here in this peaceful place than in a soon to be attacked Konoha." Naruto was so taken aback by these new words that it took awhile to find his voice.

"What… what do you mean?"

Oh, guess I was so rushed to tell the story that I forgot a minor detail. After are two teammates that we had found up north had told us about the giant, black demons, they also told us that before they had attacked them, the overheard them caring out a conversation a planned invasion on a village to the west that was surrounded by forest, I assume that they were talking about Konoha. But they also said about releasing the great nightmare to take the world as his own, or something along those lines. But regardless, the invasion was to be held on the day of a full moon.

"But that's two days from now, how am I going to warn Konoha and Suna and prepare them for an invasion of demons in two days!"

"You'll find a way, if you don't, the entire world will be in jeopardy." He suddenly went into hysterical line of coughing, which made his healed wounds reopen, dying the sand scarlet. Naruto watched in agony as his breathing became more labored even after he stopped coughing.

"You're the boy who was sealed with the Kyuubi, Naruto right?" Naruto nodded as he felt anger begin to sep in at the mention of the demon. It increased even more when the man started to chuckle. "It's almost ironic how a demon child is key to us winning against demons." He chuckled again and Naruto had half a mind to beat him to death but held in respect.

"I know I'm asking a lot out of you but could you do me a favor when you get back to Konoha?" Naruto gave a nod.

"I know I don't deserve it but would you carve my name on the memorial stone since I technically did die at the hands of a demon." Naruto didn't know what to say or feel so he said what first came to mind.

"Tell me your name so I can write it when I get back."

"Nukoa… O Tebanasu Nukoa." Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. Both knew what had to happen now but Naruto didn't want to leave him alone to die. It just didn't feel right.

"You should probably get going, your comrades will be wondering were you are."

"That can wait, I'm not going to leave you alone when you…" Naruto couldn't speak the last word, he had barely met the guy and he already felt like he knew him.

"The mission is more important and I don't want it jeopardized because of me. Besides you and I aren't even friends," his voice had gone down to a whisper and Naruto had to lean close in order to hear. "But if things had worked out differently, perhaps..." But he never did get to finish.

As if on cue, Naruto stood up and began walking in the same direction he came from. As the oasis began to disappear with in the sands of the dessert, Naruto managed to whisper out, "I would have liked to be your friend, too."

* * *

"Naruto, where have you been, we all were worried sick." Kiba's voice brought Naruto out of his thoughts. Looking around, he realized that he unintentionally walked into his teammates camp. They had already set up tents and were preparing a fire. 'How long have I been gone?' He looked up at the sky to see the sun beginning to sink below the horizon. 'It's been over an four hours, Nukoa was right…' But the thought of the now deceased ninja, made his stomach turn in uncomfortable knots.

Without another word, Naruto came and sat down in front of the fire. Many stared perplexed at their friend before continuing on with their jobs. Only Hinata, who could read him like a book, came to comfort him. At first, he paid no heed to her presence. I fact, only when she spoke his name did he look at her. Hinata caught for a brief moment the pain and sorrow behind his eyes before he turned away. Hinata struggled with herself as her mind fought over the thought of embracing him or not. But he spoke before she could make up her mind.

"I'm sorry I worried all of you," at this point, everyone had gathered around the fire after finishing his or her chores, "I was just distracted with finding any of the other Konoha or Suna ninja."

"Did you find any?" Neji questioned. Naruto struggled with an answer, unsure of whether to tell them of Nukoa and what had happened to him. Even though they were his friends, he doubted that they would believe him so he would have to find another way to tell them of the demons. Keeping calm, he answered flatly, "Yes, but he was already died."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Neji spoke, "That makes since. After you left, we counted off the bodies and found all but one of our missing ANBU. I'm assuming that the one you found is the final ninja missing from our village. Also, when we searched a little farther north, we found the missing sand shinobi. Evidence showed us that they were attacked by the same ninja who killed our ANBU. Also, we found that the enemy managed to attack without hitting the ground, all we still don't know how they did it."

"Which means," Kurinai interjected, "We'll have to be attentive tonight when any of us take guard duty…"

"Wait, are you telling me you actually think it's safe to spend a night?!" Naruto had practically shouted the whole sentence and it took all of Kurinai's will power to stop her from beating him. After taking a moment to get her anger under control before speaking again.

"Yes, Naruto, I do think its appropriate for us to stay the night with all of exhausted from the last few days exerts. Unless, you have a reason for us not stay the night." Everyone's attention then turned to the blonde who was speechless, still thinking through how he was going to tell him or her the truth without freaking them out.

'Um, Naruto, if I can make a suggestion,' the voice spoke softly but it still scarred him. Voice ignored him and continued on, 'The best way to approach a situation like this is to be subtle.' Naruto nodded in agreement. Thankfully, everyone assumed that he was nodding because he did have a reason for them to stay. Silence ensued as they all waited for an answer.

"Well, we can't stay because…" they all leaned in closer to hear, "because there are giant black flying demons in the area who want to kill us and if we don't leave soon we're going to end up just like the sand and leaf ninja!" Everyone promptly fell over in complete embarrassment. 'Naruto, did you not hear me say 'be subtle' or did you skip learning its meaning in school?' Voice asked. He paused for moment before answering truthfully.

'I think it's the second one. By the way, what does it mean?'

'This explains so many things."

"Naruto!" he was brought out of his thoughts when Kurinai called his name.

"Yes?"

"What makes you think this… interesting conclusion?" Again, he had to stop and think about what he was to say next. This time, though, he took the voice's advice.

"Well, how else did very advance ninja from Suna and Konoha end up like this? And even if they weren't demons, how did the enemy manage to keep an aerial attack without landing." It was Kurinai's turn to stop and think but thankfully, Gai came to her rescue.

"Even though I get what you're saying, Naruto-kun, I have to tell you that there is no possible way for you to be right."

"What do you mean, Gai?" Kurinai inquired.

"Well, as most of you of know, during the great shinobi wars, the nations fought each in massive battles that determined the survival of their homes. As you can imagine, many nations concocted various plans to gain the upper hand in the war. One of the these plans was harnessing the…"

"…was harnessing the power of demons by sealing them in a human vessels. Yeah, yeah, we got that part already. But what I'm talking about isn't a human using demons power but an actual demon that intends to kill us." Naruto was practically shouting towards the end and was now breathing. Suddenly, Kurinai's face lit up in realization and she began to speak.

"Your right, Gai, demons were used in the wars as tools of power. In fact if I remember right, they were hunted and imprisoned to be sold to ninja villages to be used as a defense against attack."

That's right, Kurinai-san. And almost all of the populations of demons were killed off. The only survivors are the tailed beasts; which are all currently sealed in a human of in a shrine of some form." Naruto was speechless for a minute but soon found his voice.

"But… but surely… some of the tailed beasts are still loose…" But the two senseis shook their heads.

"Even though the nations are divided, we do keep tabs on the positions of all the tailed beasts so everyone can be safe. The last and most resent demon to be imprisoned was Kyuubi no Kitsune which I'm sure you know the position of now." Naruto looked solemn as he nodded and dropped his head.

Meanwhile, as the entire conversation took place, everyone else watched on in complete confusion. Most had never heard about the demons being used in the shinobi wars. And even if they did, they had no clue what Naruto had to do with the Kyuubi. Most, in fact, were just shocked that the Kyuubi had been sealed and not destroyed. Practically all the team now had questions but Naruto stopped them.

"I get what you're saying," he spoke with his voice and head down at first but when he spoke again he raised both to challenge the senseis leadership, "but I still think it's too dangerous to stay and I think we need to leave A.S.A.P." The two jonin were about to argue against the blonde but Neji made a suggestion that changed everything.

"If the three of you are so set on your decisions, why don't we vote?" Everyone was speechless but thought it was a good idea so agreed.

"Since I made the suggestion I'll go first." He cleared his throat and simply stated, "I think Gai's and Kurinai's plan is the best."

"What… Neji… I thought you were my friend."

"I am but are team is tired and needs rest, which can not be accomplished with your plan." Naruto continued to stared at him feeling let down. But if he felt betrayed now, it was nothing compared to what he was about to hear from his other teammates.

"I agree with Neji-kun."

"And I agree with my teammates; Neji-san and Tenten-san."

"Akamaru and me are with Kurinai-sensei."

"Neji is right, we need to take some time to recuperate. So I vote for Kurinai-senseis plan." Naruto stared at all his friends feeling really hurt and pissed. Not only had lost but from the way his friends were reacting, they thought he was insane. The only who hadn't turned against him was Hinata, who he was pretty sure would side with them. Finally, she stood up an addressed them with a fire in her eyes that they had never seen before.

"Think we should follow Naruto's plan." Naruto had to do a double take before he could fully take in what she was saying. When he did, he felt touched beyond belief. 'At least some one still remained loyal. Everyone else wasn't surprised but did seem a little disapproving of her.

"Well, even with Hinata's vote, you are still out numbered. There for, we stay for the night and leave tomorrow."

"Fine, you can all rot here for all I care. As for me I'm leaving."

"I'll come with you." Again, Naruto was touched. Kurinai, on the other hand, wasn't.

"Excuse me, Hinata, can I talk to you for a minute." She didn't get a chance to answer for she practically dragged her away from Naruto. He stood there for a moment before he began to pack his things, not really caring since it was none of his business. That is, until over heard what Kurinai and the others were talking about.

"Hinata, even though I'm proud of you for finally becoming more open towards Naruto, I have to ask what are you thinking?" Her voice was soft like it was spoken in a whisper though she had a tone of strictness that was meant for some one speaking at normal volume. It was almost as if they were far away and he was hearing them from a great distance. This baffled Naruto to no end and he was so deep in thought that he almost didn't catch what Hinata said next.

"What do you mean, Kurinai-sensei?"

"Well… I don't know if you noticed, but… Naruto seems to have, as they say, stayed in the sun a little too long." This was Kiba speaking now and Naruto had to restrain himself from walking over and kicking him right where it hurts the most. Instead, he continued to eavesdrop and pack at the same time.

"I know Naruto seems to be… stressed. But it's because of…" She stopped in mid sentence and Naruto realized that she had almost told them about the nightmares but was now holding her tongue. After a little while, she continued on. "the point is, I think Naruto was only trying to protect us."

"Well, Hinata, incase you've forgotten, Naruto is notorious for pulling tricks and lying and this whole story of the demons could be because this mission is too much for him."

"Well I think your wrong. If Naruto were lying, I would have been the first to notice. And besides, I think you all just scarred of Naruto because you've only recently noticed Naruto's behavior."

"Or maybe, you're paying too much attention to him." It was Shino who spoke this time, continuing to speak in the same dry, monotone voice as always. "Hinata, we are all aware that you have cared for Naruto since the academy days but, you can't let that factor blind you to what's really happening. It could get you into trouble if you do."

"But I'm not letting it drive my decisions. I know in my heart that Naruto is right and…"

"That's the problem, Hinata. You can't go with something just because your heart tells you to. You have to also look at it from a logical stand point and base your decision on that." Hinata must have made another attempt at arguing cause Kurinai spoke again in a much harsher tone. "Now listen here, if you continue to go against me I'll be forced to talk to your father when we get back about your behavior. Understood!" At this point, Naruto had had enough and he quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder and sprinted off down the mountain before Hinata muttered the words, "Yes Kurinai-sensei."

* * *

'Bunch of baka, I know that I was the number one prankster and joker for as long as I can remember, but can't they tell when I'm being serious.' Naruto was fuming to himself, unable to think of any other method to get it out. 'I mean the only one who believed me was Hinata, and they just gang up on her. What kind of teammates are they any way? They shouldn't pick on her just because of me.'

'_Well, well, __look who's being protective of a certain shy girl. I have to say, you defiantly have good taste in women. Aside from that overly obsessed Haruno girl, she really needs to get over that Uchiha boy.'_ For once, Naruto didn't jump at sudden arrival of "voice".

"What do you want?" Although he sounded pissed, at its appearance, he felt a little relieved at having some one to talk to. Even if it was inside his head.

'_Well, I was sitting in my cell, watching your life play out and thought I should drop in for a visit. So, what's on your mind?_' Naruto chuckled lightly.

'Well, apparently you, and you since you saw how everything that has happened so far, I don't need to brief you on my problems.' He heard laughter in the background before it responded.

'_You have a point but it sometimes helps to talk out your problems instead of bottling them up inside. Believe it.'_ Naruto almost burst out laughing at hearing his old saying but refrained. Instead, he took voice's advice and began an explanation of everything that had gone wrong. It took him quite a while to tell and by the time he had finished, he was on the border of Konoha and the sun was beginning to rise.

'_Wow, you definitely need some help,'_ There was a pause and Naruto swore that he heard the voice mutter _'and I thought I had problems.'_ before it continued on. _'Well, do want my advice or do want to make your own choice?' _Naruto considered it for moment, stopping on a branch to catch his breath. After a while, Naruto answered.

'Tell me what you got.'

'_Well, the way I see it, you have two choices.'_

'Go on.'

'_The first choice is to go back to Konoha and tell them what happened and hopefully be able to ask for another ninja squad to be sent after your friends before your thrown in to the insane asylum.'_ It seemed to sense Naruto's unease so it skipped to the next plan. _'Or… you could turn back to save your friends (hopefully before they get burned to a crisp) so they can at least help in defending your case,'_ Naruto seemed to be a little more pleased by this answer until it added, _'before you all get locked away in the insane asylum.'_ Naruto's face scrunched up and he seemed a bit displeased by his choices.

'Is their any plan that doesn't involve becoming locked up for insanity?'

'_Well, we could always pull a Sasuke.'_ Naruto seemed a bit confused by this new plan.

'What does that mean?'

'_Simple, we run away and join the enemy in hopes of under mining them.'_

'What kind of a plan is that? Incase you didn't know, I will never turn my back on my friends and village.'

'Really, then what you just did with your teammates isn't abandoning your friends to face a demon that is certain to kill them and perhaps torture them? Oh, and what about Nukoa. You just stood by and watched him die. Is that your plan, to just stand by and watch your friends while they all perish in the fires of hell?!'

'Yes… I mean no… I mean…' But Naruto stopped in mid sentence. He stood stunned for a moment before his frustration and anger that had built up over the last few days took over. He began to pummel the tree in rage, not enough to hurt the tree but enough to draw blood after a few punches. Naruto stared down at his blooded hand and felt hot tears begin to build in his eyes that had nothing to do with the pain in his hand. They silently rolled down his boney cheeks and fell onto his wound making it sting.

'_Kit… if I can give one more piece of advise?'_ Naruto said nothing as he simply nodded, a few sobs catching in the back of his throat. _'An old saying once said that misery loves company.'_

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

'_I'm simply saying that wouldn't it be better to share you're insanity with friends then alone in a dark, cold cell.'_ There was a small pause before voice said softly, _'Think about it, Kit.'_ With that said, he felt the voice vanish into the back of his mind, not to speak any further. Naruto stared down at his now healed hand before he looked up at the sunrise. He then looked in the direction of Konoha, the dark, familiar trees suddenly looking ominous. He considered the pros and cons, weighing his options before coming to a decision. Once decided, he set out towards his destination.

* * *

Hinata woke up bright and early for her turn at guard duty. She felt somewhat tried after not getting a good night's sleep. She had had horrible nightmares about Naruto all night and the demons he had spoken of. Neji and the others had assured her that Naruto was just under a lot of stress and needed a break. But she was convinced that even though Naruto didn't seem to be himself when he had talked to them, he had seemed to be telling the truth. If he hadn't, Hinata would have been the first one to notice.

But she knew she shouldn't be thinking about her long time crush, her mind needed to be on the mission. Pulling a jacket over her and exiting the tent, she found her teammate, Shino, still on guard.

"Ohayo, Hinata-san. Have a goodnights sleep?" Although Shino at first glance seemed like a cold, distant and silent weirdo with a bug problem, Hinata knew other wise. Even though he said little and when he did it was usually in short sentences, he tended to show he cared through actions rather than words. Little things like taking first watch or fixing meals or setting up camp while every one relaxed. Deep down, he was a nice guy; who just so happened to have a bug problem.

"Yes, I did. Thanks for asking." Shino wasn't convinced, especially since Hinata had to hold back a yawn as she said the last part.

"Maybe you should go wash your face first." Noticing her paler skin and rings under her eyes. "I believe there is a creek twenty meters north west of here."

"No, I'm fine. I just need a few minutes…" but Shino gave her a look that silenced any protest and she reluctantly obeyed. Following his directions, she soon found herself at a riverbank. After splashing her face repeatedly, she felt a bit more awake and alert. Satisfied, she turned to head back to camp. That's when she saw it.

There, only a few feet away and resting onto of a hill, was a large cave the size of a three- story building. Curiosity suddenly striking her at that exact moment, she decided to investigate. When she was at the maw of the cave, she realized that then was something unusual about it. First off, the cave didn't look like it had been naturally made. Rather, from the looks of the impact and burn marks, it looked like it was made from a powerful earth or fire jutsu. Second, a strange rumbling, growling noise was coming from deep within the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

**Ok, I know that I haven't updated in a while but I have a number of perfectly good excuses to why I haven't.**

**1. I went through a big time depression for a few months and pretty much lost all reason to live. (This is the main reason)**

**2. I only got TWO freaking reviews from the previous chapter. TWO! That's not exactly an inspirational number when you're writing a new chapter. (By the way, thanks to ****YonakaKurai and pizzle d for reviewing)**

**3. Major writers block. Like, I had no inspiration going on at all. (Thanks in part to my depression)**

**4. When I didn't have writers block, I only had inspiration for some other piece of writing (like my story called Searching for Destiny or writing my new fan fictions)**

**There you go, my perfectly reasonable excuses. But I promise to update more from now on (so long as you review more often). I hope you enjoy the chapter as much as me and I'll see you at the bottom.**

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 5: Flight of Fear, Fight of Fire

* * *

Hinata stared into the depths of the cave, the cryptic darkness both drawing her in and yet frighten her away. Many minutes passed she fought between ether going in or leaving and warning her team.

'Its too dangerous, if something's in there… and I go alone… no! Nothing is in there… besides… if there is… I can take care of myself… I'm a Chunnin after all. So that settles it… I'm going, and there is nothing that can stop me… but maybe I should go back to camp and get back up… its not like the cave is going to vanish while I'm gone… right?' As Hinata continued to contemplate her next action, she did not see the approaching figure. Masking his chakra and keeping to the shadows, Hinata had no way of knowing of his approach until he lunged out and grabbed her. She screamed and froze, overwhelming fear-taking control. But it didn't last long and she began fighting back fiercely, activating her kekkei genkai. But once she did, she realized that she was in no danger.

"Ki… Kiba-kun?" He smiled brightly up at her before setting her back down on solid ground.

"Hey Hinata, sorry I scarred you there but," here, he burst out laughing, "man… you should have seen your face!" Now, if Hinata weren't still in shock and a nonviolent person, she would have probably smacked Kiba over the back of the head. Thankfully, Kurinai was there to do it for her.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right for scaring Hinata like that." 'Especially with her believing the whole demons story that Naruto came up with.' Kiba continued to rub his head, mumbling something about how it wasn't his fault that Hinata was jumpy, while said kunoichi got her heart rate under control. When she did, she noticed the rest of the group had joined them near the cave entrance.

"What… what are you all doing here?"

"You were gone a long time and we were concerned that the enemy had ether captured or killed you. We decided that the best course of action was to investigate and lend any assistance that was necessary. But, from the look of things, the only assistance was from us keeping Kiba away from you." Neji said while giving Kiba a glare, which he flinched away from. A small smile formed on her face at the knowledge of her teammates worry. But her attention turned back to the cave entrance and her struggling decision. Neji, of course, noticed his cousin's behavior.

"What is it Hinata?"

"Oh its nothing. I just…"

"Wow, take a look at this cave." Kiba approached the cave looking curiously into its depths. As expected, every one turned their attention to the cave and approached it with caution. At first, the only sounds that could be heard were the group's sounds of marveling or suspicion. But, after the group had grown silent, the distinct rumbling, growling noise returned and every one came to a stand still.

"What is that?" Tenten finally whispered.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Neji's voice was stern but was also barely above a whisper.

"Oh, come on you guys! I think your blowing this way out of proportions. Its obviously just some spooky old cave." Kiba spoke in such a loud voice that many cringed from his tone. But Shino seemed unshaken by his comrade's voice and was able to come back with a response before anyone else.

"Than how do explain that sound resonating from the cave depths." Although Shino spoke evenly and with no expression, it obvious by his body language and his voice barely being above a whisper, that he was just as nervous as the rest of them.

"Simple! The wind is blowing at the mountain at such a force that it's making the mountain sway and hence, giving off that loud groaning noise." Shino, again, was unaffected by Kiba's volume quality, responded in the same monotone. But while her two teammates argued on, Hinata had continued to keep her senses open to the world around her and just now become aware of a small key occurrence.

"Um, Kiba-kun…"

"Kiba, although you are my comrade and I do consider you in the most highest of regards, I need to inform you that your theory is highly improbable."

"Um, Shino-kun…"

"Oh, and how did you come to that conclusion?"

"Um, guys…"

"Well, the fact that there is no wind blowing today or any such evidence that a wind of any kind is blowing…"

"Um, could you two just stop for a second…?"

"Hey! Can you two just stop arguing for a second and actually listen to what your other teammate has to say!" No one had ever heard Kurinai shout or scream like that, since she was usually the one to remain calm in the worst of circumstances. But the past few days were some of the worst she had ever experienced and the stress of it all finally got to her. After Kurinai had calmed her nerves enough to speak properly without scarring everyone away, she turned to Hinata and calmly said, "Go ahead Hinata." Before she went back into silence. It took Hinata a moment to register what her sensei had said but when she did, she scrambled through her memory to find what she was going to say before the outburst. But when she finally did remember, everyone else had already realized what she was going to say.

An erry aura had broken out and made the air became remarkably heavy and still. Almost on instinct, the small group of shinobi moved into a tight formation, their backs facing each other. Chilling fear worked its way up and down the shinobi's spins and after several long and drawn out minutes, one of the group members spoke the very words that Hinata had been meaning to say.

"The noise from the cave, it's gone." The words were barely heard for shortly after they were spoken, a great roar erupted from the cave. It sent a shock wave of sound through the entire area, making the earth shake and the ninja cover their ears in agony. The roar continued on long after it had blown over, making the groups ears ring. After several long minutes of silence, a new sound caught in the air. It was a pounding sound that, although entirely an impossible thought at the time, sounded like something heavy and lumbering like something was trying to move it self along a narrow space. In fact, the more the group tried to block away the idea of something immense moving inside the mountain, the more the sound increased in volume.

All stood dumbfounded and confused, trying to figure out the source of the noise and whether it was real or imaginary. All but one that is.

'Naruto… he was right… about the demons… killing the sand and leaf shinobi… and now…' Hinata's eyes widened in realization and fears, staring into the caves depths were the volume of the sound was increasing to the point where the ground was shaking under foot. 'Its after us.' She stood paralyzed, caught between fight and flight; Hyuga honor holding her back from abandoning her friends and her own frightened ways stopping her from responding. Finally, after gathering all the courage she could muster, she forced herself to take action.

But, like the leaf and sand shinobi before her, nothing prepared her for what happened next. The air suddenly grew heavy and hot and a swirls of dark clouds blocked out the sun. But Hinata didn't focus on this; she was too busy with the pair of dark, slited eyes that suddenly appeared from the caves darkness. The pair of eyes were soon accompanied by a mangled, hairless and deformed canine head, followed soon by horns and a row of spikes going down its neck. Hinata's breath continued to hitch in her throat as the massive body emerged from the cave and loomed over her. Time seemed to slow to a complete stop as Hinata and the creature locked eyes, each seeming to per into the others soul. Hinata searched desperately in those eyes for some good thought or intention but only found hate, anger and bloodlust. The monster, on the other hand, found exactly what it was looking for: fear, doubt, and weakness. The creature coiled it head back, ready strike while Hinata remained in a stupor like state, fear and hopelessness taking over. The creature lunged at her and she only had time to register a sudden outcry and the roaring sound of fire flying through the air.

Naruto stopped in his tracks when he felt the demonic aura. Even from this distance, he could tell that it was powerful. 'More powerful than Orochimaru's… but definitely not as powerful as the Kyuubi's.' This thought didn't bring comfort to his ever-increasing nerves. In fact, it seemed to make them worse.

Inhaling a big breath of air, Naruto prepared himself for what was to come. But as if by instinct, Naruto found him self-staring at the landscape in the direction of the village. The gates, that had once felt welcoming, now felt ominous like they were the doors to his own death. Although it was only a short sprint distance, he desperately wished he could just run through the gates yelling to the heavens, but his nervousness kept him at bay.

'I know I didn't do anything wrong… and its not like I'm an enemy or anything… but what if they don't believe me… like everyone else did… no, …I can't think that way… but still…' Before Naruto could even finish that thought, voices near the gate grew in alarm. Naruto had been spotted by the village's ninja and now had no chance of turning back. In taking a big breath of air, Naruto walked forward to confront his allied ninja and to complete his mission.

Hinata scrambled through the broken and burnt landscape, going in a zigzag motion to avoid the on slot of fire. Her eyes darted ahead, searching for some means of escape from the demon that was closing in. In a desperate attempt, she tried and failed in activating her Byuakugan, still weakened from previous attempts at attacking and defending against the demon. She now only had enough chakra to keep her running, but that too, would soon run out.

Just as she was about to give, for the strain her legs was becoming too much, she caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was an outcropping of rocks formed into a small tent like structure with a small notch big enough for a person her size to fit through. She had passed the perfect hiding place.

Thinking and acting quickly, Hinata moved her body so she made a complete turn on one foot. Then, focusing the remainder of her chakra sprinted at the demon full speed. At first, the demon was taken aback by her sudden maneuver but was soon recovered and went into a spiraling dive, its mouth held a gape. Hinata almost froze at the sight of the gaping jaws coming strait at her but managed to focus all energy on the bend that led to the rock out cropping. Just as the demon was about to swallow her up, she made a sharp turn at the last minute and dove into notch in the rock. It was then that she realized that the notch was smaller than estimated and ended up cutting herself on an edge of the rock as she squeezed in. She flinched at the pain but did not scream, too frightened that the thought that the demon outside would hear. A sickening crunching sound was heard followed by a gale of lashing wind as the demon crashed to the earth before taking off again.

Hinata waited in silence for what seemed like hours, listening for any indication that she was unable to out wit the demon. At first, all she heard was beating sounds of the demons wings as it circled the area. After more waiting she heard a whistling sound followed by a barrage of explosions as the demon blew fireball after fireball in hopes that it would drive her out. Thankfully, the rock edges of the cave proved enough cover from the onslaught but Hinata still had to hold her tongue from screaming in fear. Finally, the demon let up on its attack and gave one final roar of irritation before its wing beats became quieter and more distanced.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five… Hinata finally took a breath and tried her best to gain back control of her heart rate.

'Its gone…it's finally gone…thank Kami above.' After a few more deep breaths, Hinata managed to quell her raging heart and calm her fears. But with the adrenaline gone and her chakra spent, Hinata felt exhaustion washed over her in waves. She laid her head back against the rock behind her and felt a sudden longing to just drift off to sleep. She desperately tried to stay awake but soon found herself drifting into a deep sleep and the memories she had experienced only a few hours ago.

The creature lunged at her and she only had time to register a sudden outcry and the roaring sound of fire flying through the air.

A long pause seemed to follow as Hinata stared in shock at the scene before her. As the smoke cleared, the sound of blood hitting and burning on the rocks was heard along with pained and labored breathing. All remained silent and only Hinata managed to speak at this point.

"Ki…Ki…Kiba…kun!?" Sure enough, Kiba stood in front of Hinata, protecting her while others had fled. Hinata stared stunned, unable to move, so the demon obliged for her. Without warning, a long, thick whip like tail swept by, narrowly missing Hinata but taking Kiba instead. Although many of the shinobi had fast reflexes, some were not quick enough to avoid it. As a result, whether through an act of bravery or stupidity, Rock Lee and Gai stood their ground and received the full brunt of the attack. The three shinobi flew into the side the mountain, making the earth in the side of the mountain weaken and crumble. The group watched in horror as the roaring of the rockslide and the demon became impossible to distinguish. But once the rockslide had calmed the demon seemed to grow bored and then turned its ugly head at the remaining shinobi.

But although the shinobi were petrified for the moment, Neji managed to recover we'll enough to shout out orders. But Hinata didn't hear the orders her cousin gave nor did she notice her teammates as they got into position. Her eyes, in fact, never left the imposing creature before her.

The events that happened next seemed to blur by and Hinata had a hard time remembering what was real and what was not. She vaguely recognized the sound of Neji's voice and clanging sound that a kunia makes when it hits a hard object. She distantly heard outcries of fear and shock as jutsu and other attacks failed against this monster. Hinata remained paralyzed and oblivious, complete fear held her to the spot. It was only until a wet nose nudged her that she came out of her trance.

Hinata jumped and made a small squeak sound before turning to look at a now soot covered and whining dog. It only now that she realized, as she scanned the scenery, that aside from herself and Akamaru, Kurinai was the only other standing. But not for long for the creature wavered in front and prepared to strike. Hinata stared at her sensei, unable to act as the creature pulled back its head. Just as the creature lunged, Hinata saw her sensei look over at her and smile before mouthing the words "Goodbye Hinata. Its up to you now."

The beast lunged and in the blink of an eye Kurinai was scooped up into its mouth. A horrible crunching noise resonated from the creature's mouth as teeth broke through bone. Blood trickled down the side of the monsters mouth and Hinata couldn't hold back the scream that erupted from her throat.

The beast turned to the new sound and again Hinata froze. The creature starred her down before getting up from its sitting position and sauntering over towards her. At first, Hinata remained immovable until she felt Akamaru's nose again pushing on her hand. Hinata blinked before looking down at Akamaru and then the rest of the field. It was only now that she saw the true extent of the damage. Neji and Tenten were lying together; large cuts could be seen on their legs and arms. Shino was burnt and covered in soot and there was no sign of Kiba, Gai or Lee anywhere. Hinata was now the only one left standing. Although a bit frightened, Hinata kept her self calm long enough to formulate a plan.

"Akamaru," She knelt down to his level and spoke in a whisper. "We need to get our teammates medical attention but we first need to get it away from that monster and here how we're going to do it." She than began to whisper her plan to the dog who barked in acknowledgment. As soon as she was sure that he had gotten it, she began digging up the last ruminates of her strength and courage for what she was about to do.

Within only a few seconds, the beast had stopped in front of Hinata, and she got a proper view of her enemy. The massive head was horribly disfigured and she could make out a large number of scars on it. Its teeth were long, thick and rotting for they had a layer of greenish yellow plague coating them. When the beast gave a soft snort, Hinata almost vomited from the smell of rotten flesh and smoke hitting her nostrils. But what really got her were those black, slightly red slited eyes that frightened her and captivated her. Even though she was practically facing death in the eye, she couldn't stop a voice in the back of her mind from thinking that those eyes were vaguely familiar. But she didn't get the time to ponder the origin of those eyes and became rather busy dodging the array of fireballs aimed in her direction.

Thinking fast, Hinata taped into the power of her Byuakugan and got into fight pose. At first, she tried to hit the fire away with her Sixty-four-strike technique that did manage to pass off the fireballs but also gave her hands and feet painful burns. The demon seemed to pause after a moment, giving Hinata some time to think of her next move.

'If my Sixty-four strike technique didn't work then none of my other gentle palm techniques will ether. Meaning that practically all my jutsu are useless. I have think of something and quick before that giant brute attacks again.' as these thoughts ran through her mind she just so happened to catch a glance at Akamaru who was working franticly to get their teammates to safety. 'I have to keep it distracted, at least until Akamaru finishes.' Looking back up at the great beast, fear coursed through her when it seemed to turn its head to see what she was looking at. Acting on impulse, Hinata sprinted forward and began to use gentle fist on the beast's side. Although she was pretty sure she had hit only armored skin it did seem to get its attention. Swiveling its head around, and began shooting fire in her direction. Again acting on instinct more than anything, Hinata drew out some kunia and shuriken and threw them wildly into the fire blast. What happened next shocked every one.

As Hinata jumped out of the way at the last moment, she suddenly heard a roar of pain from the great beast. She turned in time to see the demon trashing around, scratching at its face with the claws attached to its wings. She stood dumbfounded on the spot, her brain trying to work out how she had managed to harm the great beast. She knew it had something to do with the kunia and shuriken she had thrown earlier but how. The body was covered in a thick layer of armor and it was obvious that it was immune to all form of attacks. But as she struggled with this puzzle the demon seemed to have managed to recover and was now charging at her.

Only quick reflexes saved her and the demon only managed to get a mouthful of dirt. After spiting out large clumps of soil (which were on fire), it whipped its head around and gave Hinata a death glare. A few seconds later, the creature had struck out again only to get a face full of rocks. This cycle of strike and dodge continued on until the creature abruptly stopped and looked over its shoulder.

Hinata only got a brief glance at Akamaru, who had let out a yelp when an enormous tail had slapped down only a few inches away, and before she realized she was getting no where.

'I need to lure away this monster if I ever hope to save my friends.' With that decided, she sent another barrage of kunia and shuriken. The moment the weapons made contact with the demons armor, it made an odd clanking sound and the beast's head swung around to stare down Hinata. Within a few minutes, the two were stuck again in the cycle of strike and dodge, but this time Hinata had a plan. After several minutes of this, Hinata suddenly burst into a full on sprint forcing the demon to take to the air. Over the roar of the wind from the beasts' wings, Hinata managed to shout, "Don't worry Akamaru, I'll back soon." But silently she said. 'I hope.'

For the next several hours, Hinata struggled to lure away the demon and survive the array of attacks it used on her. Once they were far enough away, Hinata tried to lose the demons pursuit but to no avail. It continued to bombard her with its fangs, claws and fire while she barely managed to hold he own. Many times she tried to take back the fight but regardless of what she tried, it ended in failure. Its armor was too thick, its agility to great, its senses too sharp, its weapons too lethal, and its fire too hot. In the end, fear and instinct were the only things that kept her running.

Running from a demon determined to end her life. Running from everything she cared for and held dear. Running from a nightmare that didn't seem to end no matter how loud she screamed.

Hinata woke with a start, both from the dream and the pounding coming from outside her shelter. Moving as quietly as possible, Hinata peered out the notch and gasped in fear. Only a few meters away, the demon was crashing around in the brush in a desperate attempt to find its lost prey. At first, Hinata had to desperately try not to faint at the very sight of the demon. But after a while, she came to realize that the demon wasn't actually looking, rather, it was making a bunch of noise and destruction in hopes that it would draw her out. In fact, so long as she remained quiet and in her hiding place, she guessed that the demon would simplify move away in time.

Sure enough, within moments, the beast seemed to grow bored and began to move away. Hinata watched it until it had disappeared from sight before she sighed with relief. Leaning back against the wall, she waited for her heart rate to slow down. 'Thank the Gods its gone, now I can rest a little longer in peace. At least, until I can figure out how to get back to Akamaru.' At the thought of the big dog, Hinata felt a pang of worry work its way into her heart. 'I hope he found some place safe to hide but in the mean time,' Hinata sat up, her joints popping and aching after the long rest. 'I have to take care of myself.'

Hinata peered out of her shelter cautiously, nervousness and fear making her alert. As she stepped out, it was then that she noticed how late it was. The rays of the sun cast red and orange across the damaged landscape, making it look blood stained and battle torn. The sight brought back memories of when her group came across the "remains" of the missing ANBU and Hinata suddenly felt faint. She tried to remain steady on her feet but the physical and mental stress from the last few days was too much. She felt her legs give out from under her and her stomach turn the empty contents within as it prepared to be relieved. As she fell forward, something strange happened.

Hinata suddenly felt something like a gust of wind pass right over the top of her, catching a few hairs on top as it passed. Within a few seconds, a large eruption occurred on the rock face behind her. Hinata was thrown forward by the debris and force that came from the explosion. As the dust cleared, Hinata remained face down, too scared and tried to move. Then very slowly she raised her head from the ground, squinting through the dust. Her eyes suddenly went wide when she recognized the figure only a few meters away.

There, standing near the rock outcropping with its tail lodged in the rock's side, was the demon. And worst yet was it was not alone. Small yellow mini demons the size of a large dog were zooming around the beast body in an excited manner, making a horrible squawking noise. As she watched the creatures, many began to land and approach her cautiously. It was then that she realized that these yellow squawking beasts were the demons offspring.

But unlike normal offspring, you could hardly call them "cute". The had long narrow bodies and heads with small pointed spikes going down there backs. They had a pair of pointed horns on top of there heads and going down there jaw which contained a row of needle like teeth. There bodies were gangly, and dirty with long whip like tails and their limbs had little muscle. In fact, Hinata had a feeling that the little imps were malnourished and hadn't had a decent bite to eat in quite a while. Suddenly, a feeling of familiarity and fear sparked through her. As the cogs in Hinata's mind turned, Hinata had to stop herself from jumping when she saw other figures appear out of the steadily darkening landscape. It was two more demons, a bit taller and caring more scars across their bodies and faces then the first. Mini-demons but fewer in number then their counterpart also accompanied them. As they lumbered into the sunlight (which was almost none existent at this point), they seemed to greet their smaller ally before turning to stare down at Hinata. At this point, Hinata had gotten into a sitting possession and could now feel her heart hammering away in her chest. Time passed slowly but even as it did, Hinata couldn't help but think and question.

'Why aren't they attacking me? I'm obviously too weak to fight and after all that effort that one went through to get me, you'd think they would be all over me now? So why…?' Suddenly, Hinata turned to see one of the little imps only a few feet away from her back. Stumbling to her feet, Hinata scanned around her to find herself surrounded by the fifthteen or so imps. Looking up, she noticed the demons seeming to observe her and the movements of there young. Again, something clicked in the back of her mind and she suddenly realized why this seemed so familiar.

Hinata remembered when she was younger that her teacher at the academy had been talking about the habits animals. She had been talking about predators and how they raise there young in hunting.

_"Often," the teacher had said, "predators like felines and some canines will bring live prey before there young so as to not only teach them what to hunt but how to hunt. When the prey is first brought in front of the young, it will often try to escape, stimulating the instinct to kill."_

Hinata felt fear shake up and down her body as she took in the reality of the situation. 'I'm food… for there young. That's why they haven't attacked yet; they want their young to learn how to kill. And I'm the demonstration. No… this can't be happening. It has to be a dream. A horrible, horrible dream. I just can't be food for a bunch of demon babies. I just can't!' Hinata was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the imp sneaking up from behind. When it struck out, it missed but managed to force Hinata to jump back and scream. The minute Hinata screamed, the imps surrounding her lifted their heads up and stared down the kunoichi. After a few minutes of silence, the suddenly slouched down into a stalking possession and began crawling towards her. Hinata's brain shut down to a primitive state and only managed to spit out two options: fight or flight. When the imps were close enough, they suddenly sprang as Hinata made her decision: fight. Her body acted before her mind instructed and soon, Hinata was beating backing the hoard of beastly offspring. As they landed, the imps began to make what sounded like a mix between a hoarse scream and low hiss as they thrashed about on the ground. When the regained their balance, they began to let out a whimper and shuffled back over to there parents. As Hinata regained herself, a sudden roar of anger came from the smaller demon. Picking it self up from its sitting position and began to stalk over in her direction.

Hinata knew now that there was no chance of escape at this point. Sadness replaced where fear should be and Hinata began to think of all her regrets. 'It's over. I did my best but like everything else I've tried to accomplish, I failed. For once… I would like to have actually liked to do something right. To have made my father proud and to have proved my self to my family… to my teammates and friends…. to my village. But most of all I would have liked to prove my worth to Naruto… and to have told him… how I truly feel.'

But something strange happened when Naruto came into Hinata's thoughts. A sudden feeling of hope irrupted from within and she suddenly didn't feel so weak. It was almost as if Naruto had entered her weakened body and given her his strength and courage. Straitening up and taking up a battle stance, Hinata prepared for the demon's strike. Ether the demon didn't notice or didn't care for it attacked her regardless. Fear sprang into Hinata but instead of backing down, she straitened and closed her eyes, preparing for the pain to come. But instead of being met with a barrage of fire and teeth, she heard the sound of metal hitting metal, roar of pain and then a mighty crash. When she opened her eyes and was surprised to find a familiar frame blocking the path of the beast.

"N…N...Naruto?" He turned his head at the sound of his name and gave Hinata a broad grin.

"Sorry I keep you waiting, Hinata." Naruto now turned fully around to face Hinata. "But you know what they say, a hero always arrives at the last moment to save the day."

**Sorry to have ended at a cliffy but if I continued on, this chapter would have gone on for five more pages. But don't worry, like I said before, I'll make sure to update soon as possible so long as you readers review.**

**The review doesn't have to be long or descriptive. Just make sure to leave one before you go. I am excepting anonymous reviews along with Flames, ranting, suggestions and questions. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and until next time, Sayonara!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone. I know have a late update but its not completely my fault (blame my crappy email system that didn't get my chapters sent to my editor). Oh, that reminds, I'd like to tank my new editor, k2thein, and the amazing inspiration his/her story The Magical Chronicles: Power of Shinobi gave me. I'd also like to thank all my reviewers including ****daking, Inquisitor Soarn (by the way, what's a Dreadnought), Omi, Mizuki Yagami,****The Unknown Scribe, and penguiy1104. You people are awesomeness.**

**Oh, a lot of people have been asking through review if the demons are dragons or something. If you must know, the original idea behind DS,SR came from a favorite dragon movie. So, you could say that they are dragons even though the concept about them is a bit more complex. And if anyone wants to know what the demons look like, I'm going to post some pictures in my profile for all my readers to see. **

**So, anyway, here's the next chapter (take note that all the titles in my story it has multiple meanings). Hope you enjoy it and see you at the bottom.**

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 6: Moment of Weakness

* * *

At first Hinata remained stunned on the spot for the better part of a minute, barely comprehending the fact that Naruto was standing in front of her. Not only that, he had also managed to take down powerful demons with one blow were as she and the rest of the team had barely managed to leave a scratch.

"Naruto, what are you…how did you…?" But Hinata couldn't manage to get a proper sentence in. But she never did get the chance for the demon suddenly managed to right itself and stared down Naruto with what could only be called malice.

'_**You!'**_ Said a voice that seemed to come out form all around and hung in the air like a heavy fog_**. 'How dare a mere mortal like yourselves challenge my power and threaten my kits.'**_ The voice was full of anger and it rang with a low growling sound that sent shivers up Naruto's spine. Especially since he now realized that the voice came from the demon in front of him.

"Yeah, well, how dare you threaten my friends and gang up on poor Hinata-chan. I mean: you must be some of the lowest of the scum on earth to attack sweet and innocent Hinata."

'Yeah, you tell them Kit. No real demon would gang up on some one as weak and pathetic as the Hyuga girl.'

"Hey don't insult Hinata like that. And I why are you even talking in the first place? I thought I told you to take a hike."

'Well excuse me. I thought I was being helpful. After all, I am the one that recommended that you return and help your friends.'

'Yeah but it was also your idea to make perverted comments about her and all. And its also your fault that every one thinks I'm insane.'

'Actually, the last comment was your fault and as for the first comment, I couldn't resist torturing your perverted little mind.' Naruto immediately went red and for a moment, couldn't speak.

"Yeah, well, you should just shut up!" Meanwhile, Hinata remained confused and oblivious for she had missed the majority of the conversation (again, thank God). But for some reason, the demon had not.

'**I hate to interrupt this conversation but if you two are done I'd like to make this homely human pay for his arrogance.'**

"Hey, who you calling ugly you giant bat… snake… horned lizard… mutant… thing!" The demon along with its comrades seemed taken aback by his insult and but soon regained themselves.

'**How dare you… insulting us in such a manner… and in font of our kits… it's unforgivable.'** One of them hissed out while getting up from its sitting position and sauntering over towards Naruto. The other soon followed while there "kits" followed in their wake, squawking all the while. Hinata immediately tensed up and moved so that Naruto was standing between her and the demons. Naruto backed up a little as the demons approached, pushing Hinata against his back. Seeming desperate, Hinata latched on and pressed her body weight to him, the feeling of another body close to hers calming her nerves. She felt Naruto tense and a sudden wave of hot wind pass by along his sides.

The demons' heads wavered in front of him, their blackish eyes staring right through him into his soul. But unlike Hinata, there was no sign of weakness or hesitation. What they did find was a fire that burned intensely within his heart and was fueled by his determination to protect and love for his friends. And the longer he stood between the demons and Hinata, the bright it burned. The demons suddenly seemed to falter and began to back away, no longer as confident in the presence of such raw bravery. It was then that Naruto saw his chance.

"Hinata," he whispered and she snapped her head up to look at him. He turned his head so as address her more easily in a whispered tone but kept it forward enough to still be able to keep an eye on the demons, "I need you to let go of me so I can fight these demons." Her grip on his shirt increased and she eyes grew wide with fear.

"Naruto, no, please don't… please don't leave me alone… please…please!" her voice was pleading and desperate but Naruto didn't waver in his decision. Making sure that the demons weren't about to attack, he turned so she could see his face properly, and he spoke fast and low.

"Listen, I know your scared that something is going to happen to you but I promise to you here and now that I won't let them lay another claw on you. Understand." But she only shook her head again and gave him a pleading.

"No, its you who doesn't understand. Its like you said before; the ANBU from the leaf and the sand couldn't take them and nether could I nor any of our teammates. So what makes you think you have any hope of taking them on and coming out alive?" Naruto didn't answer at first but rather turned back to face the now recovering demons. But when he spoke again, there was a note of serious determination.

"I just do." He suddenly took off at the demons, ripping the fabric of his jacket out of Hinata's hands. The stunned demons barely had time to act as Naruto summoned a dozen or more clones to aid him. But they were destroyed as quickly as they were summoned as the two larger demons swiped there tails across the mini army of Naruto's and sent the real one crashing into a rock face.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried out and watched in horror as the smallest demon slammed its head into the mountain with its mouth a gape. But only a few minutes afterward, Naruto appeared undamaged from the dirt plum and quickly through a set of kunia at the beast, which bounced off the edge of the snout. The other two began to send a barrage of fireballs at him, many hitting their allie.

'**Danm it, ****Uppun, Fundo****.**** Are you so blind that you can't tell who is the target and who is your sister?**' the demon hissed as it glared down its "sisters".

'**Well, Doki, why don't you stop aiming blindly with your fangs or can't you with only one good eye.'**

'Man, these three hags argue worst than Ino and Sakura.' Thought Naruto as he watched there squabbling from a safe distance.

'Tell me about it Kit and their called bitches not hags.'

'Nani! Will you stop doing that? Its bad enough that I have to deal with three pissed off demons and I don't need you distracting me.' Said Naruto while taking out a handful of shuriken.

'Fine, I'll go. But don't come crying to me when your little girlfriend to be gets hurt because the little "voice" in your head noticed she was in danger and you didn't.' The voice spoke as it faded out while Naruto went back what he was doing. That is, until he took in what it just said and heard a distinctive scream.

"Hinata!" Naruto turned just in time to see the little "kits" closing in on the weakened kunoichi. Naruto sped off in the direction of his friend but was stopped by the on slot of fire. Apparently, the demons had resolved they're fighting and now were taking their anger out on Naruto. Naruto tried again and again to get to Hinata, becoming more desperate as her cries became more frantic, but the demons continued to force him back. Soon, Naruto was forces to focus his energy and attention completely on the demons. Putting away the remainder of his shuriken and drawing out one of his last kunia, stared down the smallest of the demons.

"I hope this works." He said as he took aim and threw the kunia at the demon as it propelled a wave of fire at him. Naruto dodged and waited and hoped that kunia did its job. A few seconds later, a sudden roar of pain came from the smallest demon and again began to thrash around in agony. The other demons became distracted by their allie, giving Naruto the chance to get to Hinata. Taking out the remainder of his shuriken and threw them at the kits that had now piled onto what he assumed was Hinata. The mini demons immediately began to squawk and retreat when suddenly on slotted by pain. Naruto bent down to check on his friend.

He was surprised and relieved by how little harm she had received. She had a few cuts and bruises but he was sure those were there before. Her arms, hands and shoulders on the other hand had several slashes and burns for she had curled up in a ball to protect herself from the small demons. Naruto reached out slowly and touched her shoulder, which she flinched away from.

"Hinata, its me." She shot her head up and stared at him through tearful and scared eyes. She wiped away the tears and began to stand up with Naruto's help. Naruto cast a glance at the demons that were still fretting over their injured comrade, before speaking in whispers.

"Hinata, I hate to say this but I can't protect you and take these demons down at the same time so I need you to get as far away as possible."

"No." she said in a pained whisper, "its you we need to get far away. We have no hope of winning. You said that yourself so why do you keep fighting." Hinata's voice rose to a high scream at the end and the demons attention snapped back to the shinobi and away from their groaning comrade. Again, Naruto whispered low and fast, keeping an eye on the great lumbering behemoths.

"Hinata, you should know better than any one that I don't back down from a fight, especially if it already won." Hinata gave him a confused look and he realized that she had yet to catch on. "Their comrade, the small one, is pretty much beat and its "sisters" are next." Hinata looked from Naruto to the demons and back again, looking shocked that he had come farther than any one else at defeating the demons.

"But… how…?" Naruto gave a knowing smirk.

"Actually, its thanks to you guys." he then turned to look at the fallen beast. "When I first entered the battle, I noticed a few kunai and shuriken logged aground the eye but no where else on the body. I can only assume that you or one of are other teammates did that." Hinata had a brief flash back of when she had been trying to lure the demon away and had used her last kunai and shuriken to entice it further away. At the time, she had wondered how the demon had become injured and had not really thought of the possibility that she had caused it pain.

"When I noticed this," Naruto continued, "I realized that that must be the demons weakness. I mean it makes since that its entire body would be armored aside from one small opening. That's when I knew I could win this battle so long as I exploited that weakness." Naruto's voice range with confidence but deep down he knew he couldn't last much in protecting Hinata unless he defeated them quickly. But the question was how.

'Perhaps I can help.' Normally, Naruto would have shouted at the Voice and told it to get lost. But the crisis in front of him made him desperate.

"What do you have planned?"

'You stated your self that the demons were armored and normal weapons and jutsu didn't work. So I thought that you could combine both and see what happens.' Naruto thought about that plan for a moment before he finally replied.

'Not that your plan is a bad idea, but there is one problem. I'm almost out of chakra.' As if to back him up, Naruto stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing 'So unless you have some other means for me to replenish chakra and fast, you'd better think of a different plan. Or are you implying that I use that damned fox's chakra then you can go to hell.' A long pause followed and when Voice spoke again it had a hurt tone in it.

'Actually, Kit, I was going to give you my chakra but after your reaction…'

'Wait, hold the phone. Voices have chakra?'

'Umm…actually… we do…'

'Then go ahead and give me all you got.' Another long pause before Voice finally answered back.

'Do you…really…want it?'

'Well, hell yeah! I mean, don't take this wrongly, but you can be annoying as hell as well as a bit perverted, but your nothing like the Kyuubi. Like, all I've ever heard from the old kitsune are insults and death threats were as you have tried to help…in your own weird way.' Naruto heard a small sniff and wondered if the Voice was crying and if that was even possible.

'Thanks, Kit, that means a lot to me.' The Voice, which sounded on the verge of tears, became suddenly very serious, 'Now Kit, get ready.'

'Bring it!'

'I'm warning you now, it's going to hurt at first before it gets better.'

'I can take it.'

'Then take it!'

At first Naruto felt nothing but cooling evening air and Hinata's heat on his back. After a while though, he felt an odd warm sensation in his stomach. It slowly grew until his whole torso and stomach felt like he was standing too close to an open fire. The fire suddenly seemed to latch on and Naruto felt burning agony coursing up his body. He looked down at his body and was shocked to see a faint glow of red chakra outlining his body and swirling around Hinata and himself.

Hinata, all the while, watched in amazement as this new chakra consumed her crush. She both felt and saw Naruto's body tense in response to the chakra as if it hurt him. As the chakra traveled further up his body, it suddenly latched onto her and she flinched at what could be only described as touching active embers. Strangely enough, the chakra prevented Hinata from letting go and continued it journey up her arm. All the while leaving a burning trail.

Soon, both shinobi were covered in the red chakra and it took a while for the burning feeling to go away. When it did it was soon replaced by a new burning feeling. Thankfully, this one didn't hurt but rather filled them with fiery strength and courage. The feeling of endless strength and power coursed through them made them feel invincible, even against the demon hoard. In that moment, a rare spark of bravery hit Hinata.

"Naruto," Hinata's voice was soft but determined and held no connection to the shy girl from before. Naruto turned his head and she got a good look at his face. His fangs, which were larger than average normally, now looked like sabers. The cheek marks were now more pronounced and curved along the face. The blues eyes were gone and now replaced by a red slited orb, which should have frightened Hinata but rather entranced her. "Go get them." She stated and he only replied with a nod.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto had sped off at incredible speed. In an instant, the connection broke and Hinata slumped to the ground as sudden exhaustion took over again. The demons, which had watched on with a wary look, suddenly opened fire as the red blur approached at lightning speed. The fire didn't even faze him and he had soon leapt into the air to avoid the majority of the fire. This brought him face to face with the largest and ugliest of the three demons. For a split second, fear shone through the eyes of the beast before Naruto slammed a chakra infused kunai deep into the cornea. The demon roared in pain and began thrashing its head in an attempt to dislodge him but to no avail. The demon eventually paused long enough for Naruto to use the built up chakra in his hand to shoot the kunai out into the demons skull. Coated in the fiery chakra, it set fire to anything in came in contact to and literally fried the demons brain. The demon gave one final agony filled roar before it slumped to the ground and Naruto managed to pull out his now blood stained arm.

He then turned his attention to the two remaining demons. One, that still had visibility, looked like she was on the verge of retreating. The other one, which despite being blind some how managed to tell what was going on in the battle, suddenly lifted its head to roar in agony and sorrow.

'**You killed her! You son of a bitch, you killed Fundo.'** Her blind gaze suddenly snapped to Naruto and her voice took on an even more menacing quality. **'And for that, mortal boy, you will die!'** It then lunged; mouth agape and Naruto sprang up to meet it. When only a few inches away from those jaws of death, he suddenly spun out the way and racked his claws down the side of her mouth. The demon automatically flinched away, exposing the underside of her neck to Naruto's claws. In an instant, his claws had had traveled all the way down the neck, leaving the blind demon with a large gash on her neck and chocking on her own blood.

Turning to the final demon, he saw her trying to make her escape through the air with the now terrified "kits" in her wake. Acting without thinking, Naruto lunged at her and soon found his hands griping her shoulder joint. With a sickening crack, Naruto dislocated the wing from the shoulder and both the demon and he fell to the earth with a sickening crash. As the demon thrashed around, trying to right herself, Naruto simply walked up and stabbed his now blood drenched claws through the back of the head, silencing it.

As the last screams of the demon faded away, Naruto distantly heard a series of whimpering noises and turned to see the imps huddled over their deceased parents. As Naruto stepped forward to finish the job he heard the sound of light footfalls. Turning again he say the image of a soot and blood covered Hinata, who now tensed under Naruto's frightening gaze. She had watched the entire fight play out and at first was amazed by the power that he had exerted. But soon that changed to horror at how he had brutally, and merciless ended the demons life. It was almost like he had become a demon himself. And it didn't help that his eyes were still blood red and he was now covered in the blood of the demons.

Upon seeing the fear in her, he was reminded of the looks the villagers gave him and he soon let the chakra fade back into his body. Looking from Hinata to the still weeping imps, Naruto thought over his next move.

'Leave them be, Kit. They'll die without their mothers anyway. Finding the rest of your friends should be your main priority now.' He nodded in response and cast his gaze away from the monstrous offspring and looked at the Hyuuga heiress.

"We should go find our friends." Hinata nodded and began to lead them back from were she came. The two walked in silence for long time before Naruto tentatively grabbed her hand and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Hinata merrily squeezed his hand in reassurance and answered with an "I know." They continued on, holding hands, both too tired to be embarrassed or to think any further on what it symbolized.

* * *

Akamaru, meanwhile, waited patiently at the entrance of a small cave for Hinata's return. Although a patient dog, he couldn't help but glance at his rescued allies, who's conditioning were worsening by the hour and back out onto the horizon. Many hours had passed since Hinata had left with the demon at her heels, providing the nin dog the opportune moment to move there teammates to safety, and it he was now beyond worried.

That is, until he saw two familiar figures on the horizon. Barking with joy, he ran out to greet a tired looking Naruto and Hinata.

'Hinata, I'm so glad your safe. I thought for sure that the demon had gotten you when you didn't come back after the first hour.' Naruto went pale at the sound of the dog's barks and growls becoming legible while Hinata only smiled and began to scratch the dog behind the ears.

"I'm sorry I was gone longer than promised. I hope I didn't worry you. But luckily Naruto came back, isn't that great?" As if on cue, Akamaru jumped up onto Naruto and gave him a thorough lick.

'Man, I don't usually say this, but I'm actually glad to see you for once fox shit.' Naruto, who had dealt with a whole lot of crap the entire day, was about to give the nin-dog when a sudden whine ripped through his throat.

'Hinata… your hand …and side…. there bleeding!' The minute he uttered these words, he immediately went over and began to lick her red and inflamed hands. Hinata tried to push the large dog away by reassuring it that she was find and instead to go get their teammates. Once gone, Hinata took out her torn up backpack and poked around for something to clean the wounds while Naruto watched on.

'I wish there is something I could do to help.'

'Well, if you want, I can give you some more chakra to heal her wounds.'

'Uh, thanks but no thanks.'

'Ohh…Why not? You were more than willing to have it during the battle.'

'Yeah, but that was for battle which really helpful but could hurt Hinata and give her even more reasons to hate me.'

'Ok, one: Hinata doesn't hate and in all truth, I don't think she ever will. And two, so long as you focus on healing her instead of hurting her she'll be fine.'

'Are you sure?' It was hard to say whether he was referring to healing Hinata or her feelings toward him only that Voice answered simply 'Positive.' He then asked 'Alright, what do I do.'

'Place your hands on the injured flesh.' Naruto felt his cheeks redden slightly but none the less, turned to Hinata asked quite blatantly "Hinata-chan, can you give me your hand?' Hinata nearly fell over and gave Naruto a look close to shock and hopeful joy. After a few seconds, he stuttered, "I want to see if I can help with the wound." Naruto looked away, blushing furiously and Hinata's face dropped. A few second later, Hinata pushed her hand out and Naruto took it. He gulped a lump in his throat and his heart seemed to hammer in his chest.

'Relax Kit. Just let your mind focus on repairing the skin and I'll do the rest.' Naruto did his best as he felt the same burning chakra flow along his hands. Hinata flinched at the return of the hot chakra but was surprised that her hand soon went pleasantly numb. after a while, the feeling returned with none of the pain and she suddenly felt the heat that came from Naruto's hands. After withdrawing his hands he asked, "Do you mind if I heal the one on your side." Which she merrily nodded to and pulled off her jacket for him to get better accesses to. Again, Naruto placed his hands over the injury and began to focus on healing. At first, he had to admit this was pretty easy and wondered if he should sign up for becoming a medic in the future. That is, until the wound had healed and Naruto realized were it had been.

Now, as most of you might remember from earlier, Hinata had been in such a panic to escape that she had cut herself along the side getting into the rocky shelter. Now, what you might not have realized is the position of the sustained cut and the portion of clothing that had been lost. Due to the two listed reasons, Naruto now found his left hand resting on the exposed torso just below a lacy black bra of fifthteen year old girl who happened to be his teammate. Mind you, aside from some glimpses at hot springs and a peek or two at swim magazines (blame Jiriya), Naruto had never seen any girl fully, with or without the apparent undergarment.

'Wow, was I right or was I right. That girl has a mad body and you can't keep your hands off her. You dog you. Not that I blame you I mean, I never thought Hinata was that kind of girl.' Naruto instantly relinquished his hand before Hinata noticed. As she pulled her jacket back on Naruto replied back to Voice.

'What do you mean by "that kind of girl."'

'Well, isn't it obvious. The girl wants to have sex.' Naruto was so shocked by this statement that he thankfully didn't her the voice mutter 'and with a certain blonde ninja if I'm correct.' Naruto eventually found his voice and managed the squeak out, 'What makes you think that?'

'Well, a person only wears black undergarments if they want them to be seen by the right person. Why else would some one like Sasuke, who's ambition is to rebuild his clan, wear black boxers.'

'Wait, how do you know that?'

'Hello, inside your head. I can view your memories anytime I want. Including the ones about you and Sasuke changing.' Naruto swore he heard Voice make what could only be described as a pleasurable growl and he shivered in response.

'OK, but still…'

"Umm, Naruto-kun?" he came out his mindscape and looked over at a worried Hinata. At first he thought she had some how over heard his and the Voice's conversation (Oh, god help us all) but as it turned out it was far worse. Akamaru had just brought out their teammates and in all truth, the almost looked as bad as Nukao had. Neji and Tenten had severe burns on there arms and legs, obviously the two had tried to stave off the attacks using taijutsu tecquience laced with chakra and had got burned in the process. Shino, meanwhile, was covered from head to toe in cuts and burns that Naruto guessed would have him screaming if conscious. Naruto noticed that there were some major people missing from their group.

"Hey Hinata, where's Lee and Gai… and Kurinia for that matter?" Hinata suddenly looked very sad while Akamaru suddenly barred his teeth. 'Hey! I noticed you didn't even mention my masters name, fox shit.' This of course led Naruto to argue with the Nin dog.

"Well excuse me. I'm sorry that I didn't mention the very teammate who made me feel like crap this entire mission." Akamaru's growls turned into a full on snarl and at first it looked like the two were going to have a full on fight. That is, until Hinata stepped in.

"Naruto-kun! Why are you arguing with Akamaru-chan?" She then leaned down to stroke the big dog behind the ears while Naruto stared at her in shock.

"Because he insulted me that's why. The big time bitch."

'Ooooooooh, you got him good there Kit.' Voice encouraged while Akamaru looked stuck between anger and shock. And so did Hinata's face for that matter.

"What do you mean Naruto-kun? All Akamaru has said is a few barks and whimpers." Naruto's face went blank and he had a hard time finding his voice again.

"You mean…you didn't hear him speak…human?" she shook her head and suddenly looked worried.

"Are you OK?" he nodded again before switching the subject. "Yeah, but I bet Gai, Lee, Kurinia and even Kiba are worse off. The fact that Akamaru didn't bring them out must mean they are probably in a whole lot of pain right now." Hinata again looked sad and Naruto felt his stomach turn uncomfortably. "Right?" Hinata sighed before she looked up with tearful gaze.

"Naruto…" she then went over all of the events that followed after his leaving, her voice becoming sadder as she continued. Naruto felt his heart sink more and more as he realized that he had lost more of his precious people. He felt like shit by the time she had finished but shoved these emotions aside, knowing that there were more important things to accomplish. Casting his gaze on his surviving teammates, he tried to figure out a plan.

When he came up with nothing, he sot out for the one source that could help him now. 'Hey voice, you there?'

'Well this is a first, aren't I supposed to contact you and not the other way around?'

'Please, no jokes, I just need your help.' Voice's tone lost its cheerfulness and suddenly became soft and almost…motherly.

'What do you need?' Naruto tried to remain calm but found his voice crack in places and tears form in his eyes.

'I don't know what to do. Neji, Tenten and Shino are hurt and unconscious. Kiba, Lee and the senseis are,' he stopped for minute before continuing, the tears beginning to fall down his cheeks, "gone. And Hinata, the mutt and me are the only ones that can help but we're all exhausted and stuck in the middle of nowhere far away from home and…'

'Shhh, its OK, take a few breaths and I'll tell you what to do.' He took its advice though the tears continued to fall. 'First things first, you need to get every one back to Konaha to get medical attention and warn them about the demons. After that, we can plan our next move.'

'Uh…did you not hear the fact that we are all exhausted and out of chakra? And were a good three days travel form the village. And the demons plan on attacking Konaha TOMORROW!'

'Uh… did you forget that I have chakra to spare? And just so happen to know a jutsu that can get you all there in no time at all?'

'Voices can use jutsus?'

'If you have chakra you can perform a jutsu. Now do you want my instruction or not.'

"Hai."

"Naruto-kun? Who you talking to?" it was Hinata who asked the question and she and Akamaru both looked worried. Although Naruto wanted to avoid the question, for it would lead to even more questions, he decided it would make things much easier

by telling them the truth.

"The voice in my head." Hinata looked very worried and Naruto knew he would have to elaborate. "Remember how I said that there was period of time were my nightmares left for awhile." She nodded. "Well, around that time I also developed a voice in my head that has sort of been helping me at random times." He heard a low chuckle in his head 'Just spicing up your life.' Naruto barely heard it for his attention was on Hinata and her serious expression.

"Is this "voice" the reason behind your actions at the gate before we left on the mission?" Her tone held no skepticism and it sounded like she trying to accept this information, no matter how crazy it sounded. Naruto sighed in relief at her look of understanding and nodded in response. "Yeah, and it was also the reason I came. And how I managed to heal those wounds of yours."

"Wait, it knows how to use chakra and jutsu?"

"Yeah. It's even told me about a super awesome jutsu that will get us all home in no time at all." Hinata's skepticism ended at hearing the last ten or so words.

"What does it want us to do?" Naruto grinned before reverting back to a serious and thoughtful look. After nodding a few times, he came back to reality and began putting out instructions.

"First we need to each carry one teammate." Following with position, soon they each were loaded down with a teammate and there bag: Hinata caring Tenten, Akamaru with Shino and Naruto caring Neji.

"Next we need to tie the chakra rope from me to the to the two of you." Hinata did this since Akamaru didn't have thumbs and Naruto was listening to the rest of the Voice's instruction.

"Alright," said Naruto when Hinata had finished, "Voice warned me that this is going to feel weird and you might feel a jolt just so you know." His two conscious teammates nodded in response and Naruto began to slowly go through the hand signs. When Voice came to the last sign, it had to explain it for it was one Naruto had never heard of called Neko. When he was done he lightly whispered, "Demon Style: Bat out of Hell jutsu". In an instant, the same red chakra from before engulfed Naruto's body. In another second, it had traveled down the rope and engulfed Hinata and Akamaru as well. Hinata felt the burning feeling again along with the pre-warned jolt. She distantly heard Akamaru yelp before incredible power and strength filled her entire being, pushing away her exhaustion. As the chakra continued to flow into her, so did the heat and she suddenly felt the incredible need to run. Looking over at her teammates she realized that they felt the same.

"You guys ready?" Naruto's voice had become rougher in edge and his eyes were fading into a red tone again. They simply nodded in response. "Then lets move out."

In the blink of an eye, they were gone, taking off like bullets. Soon, all that was left was the sand that had been disturbed by there leaving, which soon settled with the disappearance of the rays of the sun.

* * *

**This is a reference to a movie called "Ten things I hate about you." a modern day remake of Shakespeare's play "Taming the Shrew." If you haven't seen the movie, you aren't going to get the joke. Unless your perverted and then all I have to say is rock on my brother (or sister)!**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and make sure to review and I'll make sure to update. Till then, Sayonara!**


	7. Chapter 7

OK, I know, I'm really late with my update. But may I make note that most of you haven't sent in a single review. I mean, only one person sent in a review after the three day after update (thanks by the way, you know who you are). Any way, I plan to inform you that do to life, I will be updating only once a month. But it will only be for DS,SR, my other works will be on pause for a while or adopted by other authors. Thanks for your understanding and patience (even if it wasn't willing) and now for a quick fact to start off for the shows.

There is an old Japanese folklore about a heavenly maiden descending from the heavens to bath in a spring. When she does so, she hangs her celestial robe, which is needed to return to the heaven, on a branch to keep dry. While she bathes, a man hears her singing and notices her heavenly robe and then decides to steal it. Now, there are many versions of how the story ends. The most popular are that the heavenly maiden and the man marry or the heavenly maiden becomes enraged and kills the man after he steals it.

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 7: The Voice of Truth

* * *

The streets of Konaha were desolate and quiet. The lamps extinguished with no one on the streets and not a window was lit. This was strange for the town was usually alive and awake at this time of night. But, with no festival or special event taking place and no nighttime missions, most were tucked away in their beds. Most accept two groups of people.

The first is one we're more familiar with. Working away in her office was the Hokage herself, trying to finish up the last few documents for the night. Shizune was busying herself with the large pile of finished documents, filing them away and bring in the next line of papers to be signed. As a result, the door was now propped open to prevent any inconvenience for the busy apprentice.

The second group is one neither as familiar nor focused on as much but still important. Posted along the wall surrounding the village, members of the chunin and even jonin ranking were keeping up a vigilant guard, pacing and checking the perimeter and keeping Konaha safe as it slept. Two of these members, posted at the gates themselves, were newly appointed chunin brothers Keishu and Keibi Bikko. Although excited about there new ranking, the two were young and inexperienced (at least in ninja standards for they were in there late teens) and quickly broke the three rules you don't do while on guard duty. Don't lose focus, don't drop your guard and never, EVER start a conversation.

"Hey Keishu." It was Keibi, the younger of the two with the shortest attention span, who broke the rules first. Keishu, although a bit older and more mature, had a tendency to lose focus and drop his guard around his brother. As a result, he broke the rules and replied back, "Yes Keibi."

"How much longer do you think they'll have us stand watch?"

"I don't know, probably till dawn I'd say. Unless some one comes by and relieves us of our duties." A sigh was heard and along with a muttered "I thought you'd say that." before silence returned.

Now around this time, Shizune brought in the last of the paper work, kicking the door closed as she came in. Placing them down on the "to do" side of the desk, she wiped her forehead before looking out the window.

"Sure is a lovely night." Shizune stated while Tsunade continued working, only grunting in response. Sighing again she picked up another load of finished paper work and made her way out the door. A few minutes later, Tsunade signed away the last paper to be filed away. That was her first hint that something was wrong.

Meanwhile, with our two idi… uh, I mean, gatekeepers, silence had returned between the two brothers and all that could be heard was the mummer of the wind and the chirp of crickets. But it didn't last long for Keibi had noticed something on the horizon that he had to voice out.

"Keishu, what is that way out there?" Keibi then motioned his hand out to what he was looking at while his brother tried to figure out what he was seeing.

"Do you mean that black dot on the horizon?"

"Yeah." A small pause before.

"In all truth, I don't really know myself."

Back with the Hokage, the since of bad karma was still worrying Tsunade's mind to no end when a former teammate appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Jiriaya, what do you want?"

"Progress report on the Akatasuki. You'll be surprised to know that they have…" He stopped in mid sentence when he saw her troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" Normally, Jiriaya tried to stay out the Hokage's business but her expression said that something was terribly wrong. What concerned the Sannin didn't bode well for Konaha. Tsunade was about to answer until another soul entered the Hokage's office.

Elsewhere, the two baka were still trying to figure out what they were seeing, completely forgetting there original task. Both were mostly silent, their faces scrunched up in confusion and only spoke when making an honest guess. This was then followed by a "no, I don't think so." or "that can't be it." Keibi, who had made an interesting observation, finally broke this cycle of small talk.

"Hey, Keishu."

"Yeah."

"I'm just wondering but… do you think that whatever-that-thing-is is getting bigger?" a small pause before his brother replied.

"You know, I think it is."

Back at Tsunade's office, Kakashi had just walked in, looking a little tried but caring the same lade back look none-the-less.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here? And at this time of night?" Tsunade asked, breaking out of her nervous behavior.

"I could ask you the same thing, Hokage-sama." Replied Kakashi. "And as for your question, it seems that one of my favorite tea cups has cracked on me." He then held up said teacup, which indeed had a nasty crack going down its side. Tsunade's feeling of bad karma returned but now became an ominous cloud of disaster.

Just then, the two brothers were still trying to figure out what in Kami's name was the now increasing steadily in size blob on the horizon. Actually, they had already agreed that it was a person (or persons for there was other blobs appearing along side it.), and were now trying to figure out if the person was allie or enemy.

Away from the two dim wits, another ninja had arrived at Tsunade's office only he was much younger then the present shinobi standing in her office.

"Sai! What are you doing her?" Tsunade was shocked, she knew for a fact that Sai didn't like her that much for he had originated from Root (in truth, the feeling was mutational). So why was he here now. Sai pulled up one of his fake smiles, the ones that creeped her out to no end, and began his explanation in a forced appealing tone.

"My apologies Tsunade-sama, I didn't realize you had company." At this he smiled at her two guests, who shuddered slightly, before turning back to Tsunade and returning to his indifferent yet questioning vestige. "But I was wondering if you've seen Sakura-chan today. Or yesterday."

Tsunade was shocked by the question, expecting it to be another bad omen, but answered in the same calm and authorative voice, "No, I've been busy with other matters." She then motioned to the large stack of papers next to her desk. "My guess is that she would be very busy with her duties as a medic. Did you check the hospital?" he nodded.

"Hai. And they reported that she has yet to show up for her duties as a medic nether today or yesterday." Tsunade cocked an eyebrow knowing all to well that her student was far too responsible for such behavior. "When I investigated further, I discovered that she has not been seen at any of her normal habitual places including the training grounds, market place or even her apartment." Tsunade's face contorted into one of complete and utter apprehension for the ominous cloud of disaster had turned into tempest of doom.

At the gates, the brother's vivid curiosity had become hinting panic.

"What should we do, Keishu?"

"We need to warn the Hokage. I'll alert the other guards while you inform Tsunade-sama." Keishu stated and his brother nodded before he took off running. "Hurry!" he shouted to his brother's quickly disappearing form. Turning back to face the opposing shinobi he sounded off the alarm. In moments, two-dozen or so shinobi were lined up along the wall, prepared for fight. Only, one never came.

Keishu only had enough time to perceive a pair of blood red eyes along with a two other blurs that looked vaguely like a Nin dog and a dark haired kunochi before a blast of wind swept him and the other shinobi off his feet. Literally! A few seconds later, three figures rushed by, moving so fast that none of the ninja had time to react. Keibi, who was half way to the Hokage's office, turned to see what looked like a wave of wind beating down on him. Although he tried to get away he soon found himself slammed against the side of a house.

Tsunade and her guests, unlike the baka brothers, never received any warning until the door was ripped off its hinges. When the smoke and wind had settled, there stood Naruto, Hinata and Akamaru with Neji, Tenten and Shino strapped to their backs and unconscious. But that wasn't the surprising part. A layer of red chakra accumulated around the three conscious members, a chakra rope connecting them and allowing it flow between them. And for some reason, changing their very appearance.

Naruto, who was not the biggest surprise, looked like he always did when possessed by Kyuubi's chakra: red, slitted eyes, elongated fangs and claws as well as more defined cheek marks and ferocity. The only difference this time around was that he was covered in blood, making the crimson chakra stand out all the more. Hinata and Akamaru, on the other hand, looked completely different. Akamaru, who already looked like a large wolf, now looked closer in relation to a wild dog than a tame one with mangled fur that was turning the color of his namesake and larger sized canines. Hinata, with the most startling transformation, had a fierce and determined look in her now red stained Hyuuga eyes and she now cared a dainty set of claws on her hand.

Everyone stared in shock and no one was able to speak for the longest time. Naturally, Naruto was the one to break the silence.

"Tsunade," he said while heavily panting, "We have to evacuate the village, now!" Tsunade didn't reply and the only sound was the groups panting and the teacup cracking.

"Naruto!" Some how, Jiriya had managed to break out of shock and react to his student though his reaction seemed more along the lines of fury then questioning. "What in Kami's name do you think you're doing? You know your not supposed to activate the Kyuubi's chakra unless it's an emergency!" Naruto faltered for a moment before his enraged sensei but managed to regain himself and repelled back against the Sannin.

"But it was an emergency, if I hadn't drawn upon a different chakra source my friends would be dead!" Naruto's yell combined with his fierce looks quickly silenced any protest. Seeing the look on their faces, Naruto tried to calm down, suddenly finding his emotions hard to control.

"I'm sorry, it's just that Neji-san, Tenten-san and Shino-san are hurt pretty bad and Hinata-chan and Akamaru are no better."

"What about the rest your team? The sand and leaf ANBU? What happened to them?" The three suddenly looked downcast and it didn't take much guess as to why.

"Who did this?" Tsunade was the one who spoke, her voice hinting on both sadness and need for justice of the lost lives. Naruto's blood red eyes suddenly inflamed in rage and strangely enough, Tsunade felt almost sorry for whoever had done this.

"Demons." Silenced ensued and the skeptism could be easily read on their faces.

"Is true." Hinata voice held none of the normal shyness; "We were attacked by flying demons during the mission and almost became like the Sand and Leaf ANBU. If Naruto hadn't helped us we would be dead." Naruto smiled and the chakra surrounding him and the others began to glow in an orangey hue. Unfortunately, it as began to fade off Akamaru and Hinata. The minute the last of it faded of the two, both suddenly collapsed.

"Hinata!" Naruto managed to catch the young kunochi before she hit the ground and Tsunade arrived at the shinobi's side instantly. After a brief expectation, she sighed in relief and simply said, "It's alright, she is just suffering from exhaustion and needs some time to rest."

At this point, Shizune walked in and stopped dead in her tracks at what had happened during her brief departure.

"Naruto…Jiriya…Kakashi…Tsunade." Her mind scrambled to take in what was happening and what matter needed to be attended to first. Thankfully, Tsunade had managed to remain calm long enough to form a plan of action.

"Shizune, you along with Sai and Kakashi take Hinata, Akamaru, Neji, Tenten, and Shino up to the hospital to get further check up and those injures treated." Tsunade's barking orders seemed to snap them out the trance they had been in and quickly set out to follow orders. Naruto helped the three shinobi as they lifted his unconscious comrades onto their backs and began to follow them out the doors.

"Not so fast Naruto." Tsunade called after his retreating form. He stopped and turned to cast his red gaze at the Hokage. "We need to talk." Giving a finally look back at his retreating friends, Naruto sighed before he walked back to Tsunade's office. Once inside, she closed the door and Naruto took a seat in front of her desk.

"What do you want to talk about?" There was no hint of true emotion in his voice and it sounded more along the lines of a statement then a question. Also, it seemed that there was a hidden question behind the first that probably went along the lines of "Why am I here and not with my friends?" Tsunade found it strangely hard for once to speak to the now blood red eyes of Naruto and it was Jiriya who had to back her up.

"We're sorry to hold you up but as the only available member that can update us on what has occurred on the mission." Again, Tsunade caught a double meaning behind the words that could be best translated as "What the hell happened to you and your teammates while you were away?" Naruto merrily stared at the two; hands folded in front of his face his eyes calculating. Tsunade instantly shivered as she was reminded of his missing-nin teammate, Sasuke Uchiha.

After a while, he sighed before he began to recount the mission. Tsunade listened intently while Jiriya watched, his eyes never leaving Naruto and the red glow that illuminated him. Sai, Shizune, and Kakashi returned only a few minutes into the story and Naruto found himself repeating it before going on. When he was finally done, there were a few minutes of silence before some one spoke.

"Naruto," It was Jiriya who spoke with a hint of skeptism, "there is no possible way that it was demons." Naruto glared at him and his voice was as cold as ice when he spoke.

"Gai and Kurinia said the same thing and look were it got them." His voice was threatening, almost daring the Hokage as well as every one else to go against his word. Again, everyone flinched and the teacup cracked a little more along the side.

"He has a point. Why can't it be demons?" everyone turned in surprise when Keibi barged in without warning. Shizune, who was in a bit of a daze before hand, suddenly shouted out at the young chunin in irritation.

"Keibi, what are you doing here? Why aren't you on guard duty? How long have you been in the doorway?" Keibi suddenly looked very embarrassed and began to rub his neck as a result.

"Well, actually, I had been ordered to warn Tsunade-sama when Naruto-san and his group came through. But they managed to pass me on the way here and got to you first. By the time I arrived here, Naruto-san was recounting the mission and I didn't want to interrupt."

"So you eavesdropped."

"Yes, and for good reason." He suddenly snapped. "You all are picking on Naruto-san when he's only trying to prevent the disaster from the village. Don't you think the boy who was sealed with the Kyuubi would be serious about something this important?" Everyone remained silent in shock for the next few minutes and no one could think of how to respond. Finally, Shizune managed to break the silence.

"What do you think Tsunade-sama?" The Hokage had remained quiet through the entire ordeal, staring at them with calculating eyes. Now she rose from her seat and addressed everyone in a firm but uneasy tone.

"After taking everything in consideration I have decided to think about your words further, Naruto, and then address you again on my next plan of action. Till then, I'll have two guards escort you to designated holding area were your wounds will be treated and a meal provided." With a snap of her fingers, two jonin suddenly appeared and moved towards a seething Naruto. Big mistake.

"**WHAT THE FUCK, OBAA-CHAN! Are you saying you don't believe me?"** Every one was suddenly blown back as a wave of hot chakra burst through the room. Many covered their eyes at the on slot and the cracked teacup suddenly burst into pieces. The chair that Naruto had been sitting in along with some of the other furniture burst into flame; causing the room to take on a look eerily similar to hell.

"**I can't believe you all. Here I am trying to save your butts and you repay me by locking me up."** At this point, Naruto was beginning to calm down and the chakra responded by retreating back towards its host.

"You know, he has a point." Said Keibi timidly. "Why can't you accept what he's saying is the truth?"

"I have to agree." Sai said out of nowhere, coming to stand next to his teammate. "Why is it such a redictuless idea that demons could very well attack Konaha? It happened fifthteen years ago, so it could rationally happen again." Naruto looked from Keibi to Sai, feeling much happier now that he had at least two people who were on his side. Even if one was a complete stranger and the other was… Sai.

"I get what your saying but all of you are far to young to truly understand matters such as this." Naruto then moved to protest but Tsunade said, "Despite how much you think you know about demons." Silencing him. Before he could protest further, the two "escorts" grabbed a hold of Naruto and pulled him out of the room. Well, to was more like they had to drag him out for he was literely kicking and screaming the entire time. Once the last of the blonde's screams had vanished, Tsunade turned her attention the remaining shinobi in her room.

"Keibi, why don't you return to the wall and tell the others that the eminent threat is nothing more than Naruto and his group returning from a mission. And as for the rest of you, its late and you all need your rest for the missions that will be faithfully waiting for you tomorrow so I suggest you all head home and get to bed. See you tomorrow." This was an obvious sign that the ninja were now dismissed but many were hesitant to leave. Eventually, they all filed out of the office until only Shizune and Jiriya remained. And then even Shizune left, taking a large chunk of the paperwork with her.

"So, Jiriya, I'm assuming that you haven't come to visit out of pleasantry." Jiriya nodded and then came to stand in front of her desk.

"I'm afraid so." She nodded for him to continue, not liking the tone of his voice nor the look in his eyes. "Its about the Akatasuki and Orochimaru."

* * *

Naruto was thrown quite unceremoniously into the jail cell, causing him to face plant into the grimy floor. Turning to glare at his "escorts", he saw a grin plastered across both faces. Obviously there harsh treatment of him had been no accident.

"Well, well, well, look who's finally behind bars." The pleasurable purr in his voice made Naruto's hair stand on end and his glare intensify.

"About time to," replied the guard's companion and Naruto snapped his glare to him. "I thought for the longest time that the council would just let him wander around the village without a leash. It's a relief that the demon is finally locked away."

"Yeah, to bad it's for insanity and not for showing his true colors."

"Yes well, when life gives you lemons you make lemonade." Naruto sat there glaring and seething through the entire conversation, barely able to contain his anger beyond that point. The way they talked about him was like there were talking about a wild animal ready to snap at any moment. Actually that was probably how they saw him.

After a few more minutes of verbal abuse, the two men made there leave and Naruto was finally able to relax. Getting up and rubbing the soreness out his tired body, he examined his cell. From what he could tell, he was in the short-term prison building, the small building on the eastern side of the village were criminals were placed until they could be moved to a securer prison. Then again, it was hard to tell since he had been kicking and screaming when he had been taken here and he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. The cell itself was small, with a mattress, a sink, toilet and mirror and a single window six feet off the ground. Moving to said window, he peered out it to see that it was still dark out and indeed his guess was right on his location.

"I need to get out." He murmured to himself as he turned away to the cell bars. "Before the demons attack." He continued to murmur these words while he unintentionally began to pace in front of the cell's door. This continued for the next several minutes until a passing guard made a rude comment about him acting like a caged animal. He then turned his attention to the sink, which looked and smelled horrible. None-the-less, he turned on the faucet and began to wash of the dried blood and grim he had accumulated over the past few days.

It was at this point that his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since lunch two days prier. He put a hand over his stomach, trying to quell the hunger pains that seemed to intensify with each passing minute. Licking his lips in starvation, he then realized that had also gone just as long without a drink. His mouth suddenly seemed so dry that he wondered if he had swallowed sand on his trip back.

"Man, am I thirsty." Cupping his hands under the water, he brought it up to his mouth and took a big long drink. Big mistake.

He suddenly began to spit the water violently, the taste of blood hitting his mouth. Looking at his hands he realized that blood had seeped down and slipped into the water. Naruto felt like vomiting but for some reason his stomach didn't ach in sickness. Rather, it seemed to make him crave the taste of the blood and he absent-mindedly found himself licking his lip for any trace. Again, he tasted blood as he probed his lips but was surprised by how different it tasted.

At first all he tasted was the biter metallic essence that was common with blood. But as it sat in his mouth, the metallic taste became salty and the bitter became…sweet. Not a normal sweet sugar taste but still. Swallowing, he felt his mouth water up and the sudden craving for the red liquid came. The minute he saw his blood stained arms and hands, he instantly began to lick the substance off in glee.

A light purring growl rumbled through his throat as he took in more of the taste. It was defiantly salty but the sweetness overruled that. The sweetness varied, right now it was a rich sweet like dark chocolate. It also had a bit of dirty flavor, which Naruto assumed was the actual dirt that had accumulated on his skin. Another sweet took the place of the dark but dirty one, one that had Naruto growling more than purring. This sweet was lighter, almost like vanilla, and seemed purer. But it also seemed familiar and he found himself searching through his memory for who or what it reminded him of. Suddenly, Naruto remembered how only a few hours ago, he had healed Hinata and gotten blood on his hands as a result.

Naruto stopped and opened his eyes only to meet his reflection. With his bloody eyes and over sized fangs, and a tongue rasping over his bloody jacket, he almost mistakened himself for a demon instead of a teen. He instantly tried to stop his actions and promptly rid himself of his jacket in hopes that he wouldn't be tempted. But his stomach protested and Naruto soon found himself again licking away the traces of blood. When the last of the blood was gone, he spread himself out on the lumpy mattress, his troubled stomach appeased but his mind was working over various questions.

'How do I get out of here?'

'What do I do once I escape?'

'Go to Tsunade? Kakashi-sensei or Yamoto-sempia? Sai or Sakura-chan?'

'Would they believe me when I look like…' He then raised his hand to examine it closer. Although he had gotten the blood off, his hand still looked stained red. Worse yet, his nails had grown out and curved and the blood had actually seeped into the nail. The points were sharpened to perfection and the nails its self was hardened and he found that even with his sharpened fangs, he couldn't simply bite them off. Sighing in defeat, he let his arm drop to his side and new question came to mind.

'Am I…am I really becoming... a demon?' He wanted to say no but the more he thought about it the more he realized that it seemed true. After all, did he not just take down three of the ugliest demons only yesterday where as some of Konaha's and Suna's finest failed? But on other hand, if he were turning into a demon, wouldn't he have killed his friends instead of helping them?

'Uh…its way to confusing. What need is an answer but were…' a light bulb suddenly went off in his mind. 'Of course, I can talk to Voice. It always seems to have the answer to everything and hasn't let me down yet. Surely it can help me.' But Naruto's face became concerned. In all truth, Naruto hadn't heard a peep from Voice since giving him instruction on the jutsu yesterday.

'Maybe it tired or something. It did give me a lot of chakra. Hey Voice you there.' At first, no response came from the depths of his mind. Then, barely above a whisper and sounding weaker than normal, Voice responded.

'_I'm here Kit. And you are correct, I am weak and need rest.'_ Taking up a sitting position on his mattress and closing his eyes to concentrate, he spoke back.

'Yeah, I'm sorry about that, its mostly my fault really but listen I need your help.'

'_Wish I could but like you said earlier, I gave you most of my chakra which is needed if we are to talk.'_

'But isn't there a way to talk to you without using chakra.' Voice didn't respond for a while and Naruto wondered if it couldn't afford to use any more chakra.

'_Well...if you really are that desperate.'_ There was slyness in voices tone that Naruto tried to ignore but found a bit worrying. What Voice said next rose in strength and volume until it sounded like thunder.

'_Yes… I believe its about time that the two of us talk face to face.'_ The next instant, Naruto heard the sound of rushing water and wondered if he had left the facet going and if the water had overflowed. Naruto gasped and opened his eyes with shock when a wave of cold water crashed onto him. Sputtering and splashing around, Naruto managed to finally right himself and attempted to stand up in the turbulent water. After some effort, he was surprised to find it only waste deep. Looking around, he realized that with the long concrete tunnel and the flickering lights that this was his mindscape.

Hesitant at first, Naruto began to make his way upstream. An easier task said than done for the water became turbulent in the most random of places and he found himself becoming soaked more often than not. Thankfully, the water seemed to calm down more and decrease in depth as he made his way upstream and when he did fall, he found that the water seemed to be increasing in temperature. Soon, it only came up a little past his knees and the water felt like bathing water.

Finally, Naruto arrived at the all too familiar ten story tall room with the equally tall iron bars. He glared at the retched prison, expecting to see the sudden appearance of red eyes and grimacing smile or even the sound of a rumbling growl that meant the thing was asleep. But neither occurred and upon peering deeper into pitch-blackness of the Kyuubi's den, he realized that it didn't look like it was occupied. Feeling a bit of raw panic make its way up his spine, he quickly glanced at the seal, which was thankfully still in place. Although it seemed to be on its last legs for it was creased and ripped along the edges.

"OK, so if the seal is still there, then were is the damned fox?"

"Why do want to know?" Naruto spun and tripped in surprise at the sound of the new voice. Falling backwards, Naruto soon found his entire lower body along with some of his torso covered in water. Normally, Naruto would begin cursing and try to get himself out of the warm water. But he didn't even notice the water or the fact that it was seeping into his clothes. No, his focus was entirely on the figure standing only a few feet away.

Despite the dim light he was able to make out most of the persons features. The first thing he noticed was that it was a woman. He didn't know the age for she looked like she could very well be Sakura's age, fifthteen or sixteen, with the child face and the fullness of her lips. On the other hand, the womanly curves and sharpness in her deep brown eyes suggested one who was in her mid twenties like Shizune. Her face, which looked a bit foreign but beautiful none-the-less, was framed by red hair that flowed down well past her knees and fanned out in the water and glowed orange in the dim light. Her clothes were in tatters and barely covered her slim but gorgeous frame which she ether didn't notice or care. Taking in these details, Naruto wandered if he had stepped into the fairy tale about the bathing celestial maiden and the man who stole her celestial robe*. Noticing his stunned look, the women smiled and chuckled in an angelic voice.

"Why so stunned. Surely my beauty is not that blinding." Snapping out of his trance, Naruto blushed and began to scratch the back of his head.

"Eh, sorry. I guess I couldn't help starring. You do have big boobs and a nice ass after all." Naruto suddenly realized what he had said and began to panic. For whatever reason, Naruto had never been good at giving complements, especially to girls. As a result, he attained many a beating over the years along with even more girls coming to resent him worse then any one else in the village. Strangely enough, instead of hearing shouts of rage, the same angelic chuckle returned. He looked up in alarm and watched as she continued to laugh quietly before she spoke again.

"Well, I never heard it put that way before." Here she began to wad through the water towards him. "And in all truth, if any other man had said that to me I would have killed them five times over." At this point she was standing in front of Naruto and reached out a hand to help him, each finger supporting a long, curved, pearly white nail. "But coming from you, I'll take that as a true complement."

Naruto stared at her disbelievingly; noticing that markings like his own were spread across her cheeks in more defined curved lines, before grabbing her hand. Once right side up, he realized that she was much taller than first presumed. She was at least a head taller and could almost rival Jiriya.

But despite all the odd and beautiful features, Naruto got the feeling that he knew this person. She chuckled lightly at Naruto's confused expression and cocked her head to the side in response, reminding him of a dog for a minute.

"What's wrong, Kit?" It was then that realization hit him and he stumbled back in shock. He pointed a finger at the women and his voice wavered as he spoke.

"Your…your… your….your Voice?" She smiled at him in a friendly manner, seeming completely oblivious to his surprise.

"Of course, Kit. Why else would I be in your mindscape? Besides, I did tell you that I wanted to finally talk to you face to face."

"Yeah, but, I just." He stopped the sentence at this point, worried that he would say something to upset her. As a result, Voice tilted her head to the other side and peered at him curiously.

"What is it?" Naruto shook his head and she smiled encouragingly, straightening the angle of her face. "Don't worry, you can tell me. I won't get mad." Naruto looked up at her and decided to just blurt it out.

"Well, I guess I'm just surprised that you're a girl." Again, Voice tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Why do you say that?" Naruto was scratching the back of his head in nervousness at this point, still frightened that she would get mad.

"Uh…well…you see." She nodded for him to continue and a heavy blush began to take form. "The way you acted all perverted and stuff when you talked made me think you were a guy." Naruto then closed his eyes and covered his head, waiting for the beating. Surprisingly, what he heard next was intense laughter and along with splashing. Looking up, he was surprised to see Voice torso deep in water and gasping for breath as she continued to laugh.

"I'm... sorry… but… its just…" she eventually calmed down although she was still chuckling. "What did you expect, Kit? I am a kitsune youkia, the Kyuubi itself. We're supposed to be perverted. Its how we were raised." Naruto seemed about ready to say something when his eyes went wide and his face pale. A second later, he screamed and stumbled back till he hit the wall.

"Wow, Kit, calm down."

"How can I? You're not just Voice and a girl but Kyuubi also. What the heck? Aren't you supposed to be behind the seal, acting like a bastard and threatening to kill me?"

"I know, I know, it's a lot to take in. but if we just take a moment to sit down and talk this out, I'm sure everything will become clear." Naruto slowly calmed down and managed to reply after a few deep breaths.

"No offence but were can I sit? This whole place is knee deep in rapid river water. Literally!" he then motioned to their surroundings and his now cold soaked clothes. "I mean, how come this place is always so flooded and dark?"

"Well its actually quite simple." Naruto's attention snapped back to Voice who elaborated further. "This is your mind, right? Therefore, this place takes the shape that best suits what you're going through. For example, right now your thoughts are chaotic and stressed, so the water that flows through your mind has become so. And because you have so many thoughts and worries pressuring you, the amount of water increases as well. The only reason why its so shallow and calm here is because I've managed to use a little of my chakra to quell the turbulence in this part of your mind. Even if it's the deepest and darkest part of it."

"So, what should I do to get rid of the water? I can't just calm down, not with all that's happened these last few days."

"I'm not entirely sure myself Kit. The best advice I can give is for you to calm yourself through words."

"Words?"

"Yes, you'd be amazed at what you can do when you give yourself inspiration through encouraging words. Actually you should know for you do it all the time." Naruto continued to stare at her confused and she sighed in response. "Just tell yourself that all your questions will be answered and all your stress will be blown away. Focus on those thoughts and you should get results." Naruto still seemed confused but shrugged it off and followed her orders. Sure enough, the water retreated after a few minutes as Naruto continued to take long deep breathes.

Naruto beamed from ear to ear when he noticed the change, seeming to return to his old self for a moment. Voice motioned for him to sit and he followed suit, finding the floor surprisingly dry.

"I used a small amount of my chakra," she said in response to his confused expression, "I didn't want us sitting on a wet floor." He nodded before the two fell into an ackward silence. It continued on for quite a while until Voice broke the silence by clearing her throat.

"Well, you obviously have a lot of questions so you might as well get started." Naruto nodded and went about thinking of what to ask first.

"Alright, Voice…"

"Please, no more of this Voice nonsense, call me Youko or Youko-san if you must. That is my real name."

"OK, Youko-san, how did you get out of your cage? Does this mean the seal has broken? If so, why are still in my mind and being a pervert and not off in the world destroying villages?"

"Wow, Kit slow down, I can only answer one question at a time." She said before she responded back, "But thankfully I can answer all those questions. I'm warning you now, though, that it will take awhile." She then cleared her throat before she began.

"As you, as well as most of the adults in the village know, I was not killed but rather sealed inside you, Naruto Uzamaki, after attacking Konaha. But what isn't known is why I attacked the village in the first place and the major details behind my sealing. Unknown to most, my entire essence wasn't sealed inside you but rather into two parts, my Ying and Yang. The Yang was sealed with you and the Ying was sealed with the fourth when he preformed the jutsu."

"So, wait, is that why you acted like such a bitch when we first met." Naruto then became nervous and quickly added, "No offence."

Youko merrily smiled and said "None taken." Naruto sighed before he took on a confused expression.

"Hold on, then what are you now. Your obviously not furball's bad side other wise you would have ripped my throat out by now." She chuckled again.

"You are right, Kit, I have changed. I'm not the hostile Kyuubi you met around over three years ago. And even if I was still the complete bitch from back then, I still couldn't harm you for I am still technically connected to the seal and would have also been harmed if I harmed you."

"You see, another thing that is not known about the seal is that it wasn't supposed to permintally seal my two half's. It was designed to slowly release my Ying side from the seal with the fourth and infuse it back with my Yang side. It essentially released the Fourth's soul and making me whole again in one fell swope. Plus, because my original self was returning, the seal began to slowly loosen enough so as I can actually leave my cell for short periods of time and talk to you."

"OK, that makes since but that doesn't explain why this didn't happen sooner. Like, where were you when I was five and being bullied by the villagers. Or when I fist entered academy and began to learn how to become ninja. Even when I first became a gennin and needed help with missions or asking Sakura-chan out."

"Well, that's a bit more complex to explain but I'll see what I can do. OK, before I start I'd like to say that it was those struggles that made you stronger and the fine ninja you are today. And as for Sakura, you had no chance with her to begin with for she was too deeply in love with the Uchiha to even notice you and you should have paid more attention to Hinata was constantly stalking you. Anyway," she cleared her throat and Naruto stared at her with a "what the hell" look. "It mostly had to do with my extra chakra that was sealed away with me after I attacked Konaha. You see, a demons chakra tends to take on the form of the demons emotions and element, in the case of the Konaha attack, taking on the form of flaming rage I was feeling. As a result, the chakra isn't as easily dispersed like a mortals and tends to settle on the host until the emotion plays out. Because of this, the fourth made it so that the seal would not allow me to leave until my darker chakra, the chakra I had summoned during the Konaha attack, was expelled completely from both our systems. In other words, until you managed to expel my chakra through summoning it in battle for long periods of time, like the fights between you, and Orochimaru and Sasuke, could the seal loosen enough for me to gain freedom."

"That's great! So how much more of your bad chakra do you need to expel before you're free again."

"Actually, that last few fights with the demons and Orochimaru expelled the last of it. I can leave anytime I want."

"Well why haven't you? If you did, we could bust out of here, kill the demons and save Konaha. And still have time for me to treat you to ramen."

"Its not that simple, Kit. First of all I'm tired and need rest. Second, it will take a lot more than you, me and entire shinobi village to stop the enemy were up against. Even with bed rest and a good meal."

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad."

"Oh trust me, Akuma's all that and more."

"Who's Akuma?" She looked at him and sighed, suddenly looking much older.

"I was afraid you were going to ask that. Very well I'll tell, but in order to do that I'll have to explain everything: how I became the Kyuubi, the prophecy that immerged within the Youki world, why I attacked the village and most importantly," she paused to stare at him and Naruto suddenly realized the true intensity in her red slited eyes, "how my best friend and rival became my worst enemy."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the gates of Konaha, Keishu and Keibi had returned to there guard duties. This time though, the were taking there job seriously. Unlike every one else (including the guards posted along the wall, who they had debriefed on most of the events that Naruto's team had gone through) they believed Naruto's story and were determined to be ready for the impending attack. Even if most ever one thought them crazy because of it. As a result, the two were constantly scanning the surrounding forest and even the sky.

Elsewhere, the other guards were much more relaxed. Some had taken a break from guard duty and were talking lightly in the early morning. Soon, the first rays of the sun broke across the sky and the guards began to change shifts. That is until a chunin by the name of Izumi suddenly spotted something on the horizon.

"Hey, what's that?" Many stopped and starred at the boundary between the sky and earth. At first they saw nothing but then.

"What the…"

"I see were not the only ones who saw it." The others turned to see Keishu and Keibi making there way along the wall. They were tailing after a large number of other guards who had also noticed the phenomenon. "Good, at least that means were not seeing things." They then came to stand next to their companions as they continued to stare at the horizon in calculating confusion. "Now the only question is… what is it?"

They all continued to stare in silence, all thinking about different theories. But none were even close to right and the only ones who had the right idea were the ones considered insane.

"Hey Keishu." Whispered Keibi to his brother "Do you think?"

"Yeah, it is Keibi." He answered back as a black serpentine form appeared on the horizon, hovered for a moment before it slipped back into the forest again. "The war between demon and shinobi is about to begin."

* * *

OK, hoped you liked it. As always, review and I'll see you next month. Sayonara!

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

OK, I'm really freaking out right now. Not only because no one reviewed for the last chapter (at this point I've given up on all of you and am satisfied to just see people adding it to there favorite and or alert list) but also because of what has been going in the Naruto manga as of recent. Now, due to the fact that there are some people not fully caught up or who don't read the manga and prefer the anime (I was in the first catagory up until a month ago), I'm going to be discreet when it comes down to this rant so as not spoil anything for anyone. Only those of you who are caught up will know what I'm talking about.

Now, recently a character has (presumably) been killed off, one who didn't really play an important part in the series but was still one of my favorite characters. And even more surprising is that a character (one who has a greater role in the series) who every one assumed was dead may not be. So it is with humbleness that I dedicate this chapter to them, two important characters to the Naruto universe and in a way to Naruto himself. May their love and sacrifice as well as the rest of his friend's love lead him out of the darkness of this difficult stage in the series.

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 1

Chapter 8: Red Dawn

* * *

Dawn slowly broke across the midnight sky, warming the earth after an extended time of darkness. At least for a few more hours for dark storm clouds were quickly descending upon the village from the west. Regardless of this, the light of the sun had yet to truly touch the horizon, activity was already taking place in the village as ninja stirred out of bed. One such ninja was just waking up, not in her own bed but the hospital's.

Slowly blinking awake, Hinata's mind worked to remember what occurred before she lost consciousness. When it did come, she shot up to a sitting position, flinching as her wounds became aggravated from the sudden movement. Thankfully, all her injuries had been healed or stitched up while she was out so nothing was reopened. But Hinata's mind was far from concerned for her well being.

"Nar-Naruto-k-kun?" here eyes scanned the room restlessly, noticing that all but one of her surviving teammates where placed in the other hospital beds around the small room. Hinata felt nerves of tension and unease begin to take over when the door suddenly opened.

"Oh good, you're awake. Now maybe we can get some rational answers." It was Shizune, apparently finished with filing and now starting her hospital duties, who walked through the door relieving all the tension on the young Hyuuga. She, just like Shizune, saw this as an opportunity to get some answers.

"Where's Naruto-kun?" Hinata blurted out before the Hokage apprentice could even stifle another word. For the next few minutes, Shizune lost her composure and was unable to answer the worried Hinata.

"Well," she started in hopes that it would break the tension. "Naruto was acting rather… violently towards the Hokage and her orders so we had him placed in a more… confined area until he has calmed down."

"But where… where is he?" Shizune hesitated for a moment before she finally answered.

"He… is in a temporary cell on the eastern side of the village." Shizune rushed most of the sentence and Hinata missed most of it. Thankfully or rather regretfully, she got the major details.

"Wha…what? Why? Is it because of the demons attacking us on a mission? If it is, I can assure you as a witness that what he said is true. I know it sounds insane but trust me when I say that the entire village is in danger if we…" suddenly, the energy left Hinata's body and she fell back onto her bed feeling dizzy and weak.

"Hinata-chan!" Shizune was at her bedside in an instant, checking over the young girl to see if she had reopened her wounds. From the look of things, it was just exhaustion.

"Please, Hinata-chan, you need to rest. When the doctors first received you and your teammates, you were all suffering from sever cuts, burns and chakra depletion. Although you and Akamaru were the least injured when brought in, you still need time to recover and repair."

"But there's no time for that." Hinata stated in a pained whisper as she attempted to sit up. "Please, if we don't hurry and prepare for the demon attack it will be…"

"Why don't you listen to her instead of worrying over her injuries." Shizune and Hinata looked up, shocked to hear a third voice.

"Neji-nii-san." Indeed, Neji had awakened just before Shizune had entered the room. He had lain motionless, listening to the conversation between his cousin and the Hokage apprentice. And now, tired of the repressive way Shizune was treating Hinata, he now spoke against her.

"Why is it that you're trying to quiet Hinata-san over such an important topic. Is it so unbelievable you'd rather risk the life of the village over listening to my quiet cousin." Shizune was at a lost for words as Neji's white eyes bore into her. "I don't know if you noticed or not, but my cousin is not the type to go against her superiors or to lie. The thing is that she only speaks out when she believes that some form of injustice has been preformed on those she cares for or when lives are in jeopardy. And from what I can tell both scenarios have occurred so I suggest you sit down and listen to her."

"Wait, do you mean to tell me that you believe Hinata and Naruto."

"Why shouldn't I? After all, as a member of the branch family, I'm supposed to stand by the head of the clan and support them regardless of my own opinion. And as for Naruto, pushing aside my own feelings of respect and friendship for him, it is my opinion that he has never wavered in his loyalty to this village and has never purposefully attempted to joke about such important matters. And if you still don't believe them." At this point, he begins to remove some of the bandages from his arm. "I have the scars to prove it." He then held up his still healing, heavily burned arm, leaving Shizune speechless and confused.

Elsewhere, after a "quick" break, Jiriya gave a brief explanation to the reasoning behind his immediate return. Sadly, it was not good news.

"Are you serious?" Tsunade's voice rose loudly in the quiet office and it took much of Jiriya's will not flinch away from her voice.

"Yes, all movement regarding the Akatasuki has come to a complete stop and it seems that all further planning in their goals has become suspended. Further more, all members have been ordered to return to a preplanned location and await further orders. As I said before, I tried to follow one member to there location but lost the trail due to an impending storm. When the weather aloud it, I continued my search and circled the area only to find no further clues to there location and was forced to return and report my findings. In conclusion, it seems that Akatasuki has vanished off the face of the earth." Tsunade nodded, taking here seat again so as to think over what her former teammate had said. It was, as Shikamaru would say, really troublesome. Not only did she have to worry about an impending war, an unknown threat that had killed and injured some of her best ninja and left Naruto insane and demonic, there was now the problem of Konaha's biggest threat going into hiding.

"Jiraiya, do you have any clue as to why this has occurred?" the toad Sannin shook his head.

"No, they were very vague on location or reasoning as to there over all plan. But I did manage to over hear something about the byuuji acting up and mumbling about "The Great Nightmare awakening," and other incoherent messages. The members seemed to have understood the meaning for they stated that until the "incident" had passed that no further activity was to be conducted for the group." Tsunade sighed in frustration, leaning against her chair and closing her eyes as her mind worked over the mounting problems she, as well as the village, had to face. Sighing again, she returned her gaze to Jiraiya, who had remained immobile through her mental "assess and prioritize" time.

"Is that all?"

"I'm afraid not." Jiriya was hesitant to continue for it was something he hoped to tell both Team seven as well as Tsunade but knew now that Naruto and Kakashi would have to be told later. "As I was returning from my mission, I ran into a few shinobi formally from Sound making there way into Fire country territory."

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow at this news and merrily replied with, "Formally?"

"Hai. After capturing the small group, they willingly explained further. Apparently, Oto was attacked two days ago by a small band that managed to kill Orochimaru as well as a large chunk of his ninja army. According to the ninja, they managed to escape but not without getting a look at the invaders." Tsunade worried that Jiraiya was about to say that it had been demons but kept quiet as he continued.

"I was surprised to hear that the attackers were actually was a former sound ninja and a shinobi from a different village. They described one member as having light blue hair with shark features and caring a large sword, a second, who they said lead the attack and killed Orochimaru, was described to have dark features and aura and…" at this point Tsunade was leaning over her desk in anticipation. "Was said to carry the Sharigan." Tsunade's eyes went wide with realization and she muttered under her breath a single name.

"Sasuke." Jiriya nodded in agreement.

"I believe so. It seems that he saw no further use for his sensei after gaining the necessary power to kill Itachi and disposed of him before Orochimaru could take over his body. An almost fitting end for our old teammate." Tsunade nodded before a sober silence fell between the two Sannin. Even though he had been a missing-nin and had done unspeakable things before and after his treachery, he had still been their teammate, and they would not soon forget him. Once the moment of silence had passed, Jiraiya continued on.

"As previously stated, there was a third ninja from a different village who also helped in the attack. Sasuke apparently wanted another hand helping in his revenge. It's just… I didn't expect it to be…" Jiraiya hesitated and Tsunade's patience waned even further.

"Well, who was it. Don't beat around the bush just tell me."

"The shinobi described her as being a kuniochi of the same age as Sasuke with incredible stunning features including pink hair and green eyes. They said she fought with god like strength the likes of which they had never seen." A small pause. "At first, I thought the were mistaken or maybe it was coincidence but after I returned and heard about Sakura missing from Sai." Tsunade got the hint and quickly called in one of her ANBU, before barking out orders for a thorough search of the village.

Meanwhile, at the wall bordering the village, Keibi and Keishu were trying to convince the guards to sound the alarm and prepare for an invasion. So far, a little less then half the guards were on their side and were now arguing heatedly with the rest. Both sides were about ready rip each other's throats out until a booming command broke the air.

"What is the meaning of this?" Everyone flinched and turned to see Ibiki Morino, Captain of the ANBU division, standing on the wall with half a dozen of his ninja at his side.

"Ibiki-sama, what are you doing here?" stuttered out one of the chunin. Every one else seemed to be just as stunned as the chunin and were unable to find their voice. As many tried to speak, most unable to get out a sentence, Ibiki's eyes scanned over the crowd with a cold, steely gaze.

"None of you have yet to answer my question. Why are you arguing?" His voice was just as commanding as the first time around but it seemed to startal a response out of one of the ninja.

"Well sir…" Keishu quickly explained the phenomenon that occurred since first light and even went as far as to elaborate back to Naruto's return. Including the warning of the impending demon attack. When finished, Ibiki went into a thoughtful pose and began to stare out at the horizon.

"What are we going to do, sir? Should we inform the Hokage?" He didn't say anything after a while and the group waited in anticipation for an answer.

"No." he finally said. "The Hokage obviously has too much on her plate to focus on this problem right now." His voice broke off softly before it went back to its commanding tone. "Right, I want every available ninja up and ready for battle in the next half hour." Every one was shocked and many didn't know how to respond.

"But sir… you honestly believe there's going to be a demon attack?

"Not really, no. But it's too much of a risk to ignore such news. And besides, if some one like Naruto, who has always shown loyalty and courage to his friends and village, says there's going to be an attack then I believe him." At this point, many seemed close to complaining but when it came to Ibiki Morino, it was best to keep your mouth shut.

"Why are you all still standing here? You have your orders now get going! I don't care if its ANBU, Jounin, Chunin, or even Gennin. If they can fight and are able, then bring them to the wall. Now!"

"Hai, Ibiki-sama." Went off many voices as the shinobi sped off leaving behind Keishu, Keibi and Ibiki.

"Thank you, Ibiki-sama." Said Keishu as he and his brother bowed.

"For what?"

"For listening to us. Up until you came along, no would hear us out."

"It was nothing. Besides, I'm least glad that there are a few of the younger generation that have followed the last will of the Fourth Hokage and have come to except Naruto Uzamaki as a capable ninja instead of a demon." Keishu and Keibi nodded in response before they sped off to meet his demands.

Meanwhile, three of Tsunade's finest had returned after a complete search to report that Sakura was indeed nowhere within the village boundaries.

"I can't believe this." She said as she fell back into her chair. "First Sasuke goes rogue, then Naruto becomes mentally unstable and now…" she couldn't even finish that sentence and in a rare act of kindness, Jiraiya placed a hand on his old teammates shoulder.

"Could you please leave us alone for a minute?" Said the toad Sannin in a grave but soft voice.

"Well, actually…" Tsunade raised her head to look at the ANBU who spoke and nodded for continuation. "It seems that a large sum of shinobi and kuniochi a like are being recruited for preparation of an invasion."

"Invasion? But there isn't going to be one. There is no reason to prepare for such a thing. Who gave these orders?" Tsunade snapped, reverting back to her old self.

"Ibiki-sama." They answered and Tsunade's face became rot with confusion. She knew Ibiki quite well and knew that he would never make such a move unless…

Several minutes passed before she stood up and proceeded out of the room.

"Hokage-sama where are you going?" she simply turned and gave them a serious expression.

"To suit up and get ready for battle. After all, as Hokage, I need to be out there defending the village from any danger with all the other shinobi."

At the wall, Keibi and Keishu as well as a few other ninja returned to report to Ibiki about their luck in recruiting.

"Yes." Ibiki said while keeping his eyes locked on the horizon.

"So far we've managed to recruit twenty ANBU, twenty-seven Jonin, eighteen Chunin and we are already going through about twenty-four Genin to see who is recruitible."

"Good." He said while turning to look at them. "Anything else."

"Hai." Spoke Keibi. "Many of our shinobi are still searching for recruitible members and promise to report back when finished."

"Also," said Keishu. "We have also taken the liberty of asking the vast majority of civilians to make there way to the underground safe houses."

"Excellent. Now I want you…" he stopped when a new sound met his ears. It was a low whistling sound that made one think it was the wind. But Ibiki new better.

"Get down." He said it barely above a whisper causing the brothers to look up in confusion.

"Nani?"

"I said to get down!" his voice shouted at the end as suddenly lunged at them and pinned them to the ground. Few seconds later, an explosion hit the wall creating a large cloud of dust and an even bigger hole in its side. The next sound that followed could only be described as a screeching roar that woke the entire village in more ways than one.

* * *

A few minutes before the emanate attack; a guard walked down the short-term prison halls begrudgingly with a food tray in his hand. He had been ordered to give it to a prisoner who had recently been confined and was not aloud to leave his cell until further instruction. As a result, his meals had to be hand delivered, despite the obvious distain the guard had for him. Making his way around the last corner, he beheld the lone cell of one Uzamaki Naruto, the hated container of Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Sighing angrily to himself, he approached the cell door regretfully. Stopping in front of the cell, he peered into the dark room and noticed that at first glance it appeared empty. But as his eyes became adjusted to the lighting, he could make out the thin form of Naruto slumped in his bed.

"Hey, Kyuubi brat. Wake up!" no response

"Come on, demon scum. I don't have all day. Wake the hell up." Again, no response. The guard was now beyond pissed and was about to go into the cell and give the boy a piece of his mind when a sudden explosion shook the entire building.

"What the…" Completely forgetting about his current responsibility, he dropped Naruto's food and ran back down the halls. Naruto, all the while, had remained in the same sitting position on his bed the entire time. He made no sign that he was even aware of the goings on in his surroundings, barely even making a sound aside from his light steady breathing. But the truth was that he had noticed the disturbance, it was just in his mindscape.

"What was that?" Naruto head shot up to look at the walls of his mind as it shook. A few seconds later, a muffled voice broke outside his mind that sounded like "Attack!" Naruto turned to Youko who had a serious expression as she looked at there shaking structure.

"It would seem that dawn has broken and Akuma's followers have gone through with the attack." Naruto starred at the kitsune in shock, trying to find his voice.

"But… you said that demons only attack at night... during a full moon. You said that that would be the best time to…" Naruto began shaking his head in confusion and Youko turned to look at her worried keeper.

"I said it was a common and often smart move. But as you know from my story, Akuma has never followed the norms of demon society and has always been a bit reckless with his decisions." A smile broke across her face before sorrow and agony replaced it.

"What should we do?" A pause before…

"It matters on what you want to do." He looked at Youko in confusion, his mind working over her words. The sound of water dripping against cold floor echoed off the walls lengthening the silence between the demon and her host.

Drip… drip… drip….drip.

"I want… I want to protect my friends… at any cost." She smiled at him.

"That's what I thought." She said as she stood up and reached out her hand to him. "Then, my keeper, I assume you'll be needing chakra."

"But, I thought you were out?" She responded with a sly grin.

"I may have exaggerated that little bit of information." She gave a sweet smile of innocence as Naruto gave her a full on glare.

"By how much?"

"Well, I still had more than a quarter of my chakra left and am now up to three quarters but regardless," She again reached out her hand and gave him a confident smile, "Do you want to kick some demon ass or do you want to sit in this cell and feel sorry for yourself?" Naruto felt himself falter for a second, unsure and a bit freighted at what was about to happen. He felt isolated and burdened with the task at hand. But, from the darkness of isolation and fear, a small light began to shine within him. This small light was a memory of not too long ago.

Images of when he and Hinata had had been alone and how he had poured his heart out to her flashed before his minds eye. The feeling of warmth he had felt at her acceptance washed through him and multiplied as images of his friends' faces new and old continued to parade through his mind. In that moment, Naruto realized something: they needed him.

Looking up at the Kyuubi with a serious expression, he took her hand firmly into his and stated, "Lets do this."

A smile spread across her face that sent a shiver through Naruto. Youko's face suddenly took on the demonic fox form that Naruto had come to know and he felt her hand vibrate and burn. But he didn't let go, even as she increased in size and red chakra began to swirl around her. As she reached her full size, her hand in Naruto's was now twenty times bigger; her voice rang out in a soft sly of a purr. "As you wish my master."

A second later, her chakra grabbed onto Naruto, enveloping his body in swirling red and leaving him screaming in agony. The pain was so intense that Naruto on the outside was screaming just as loudly. Many in the building stopped and listened to the intense sounds that had many of them shivering in fear. As the minutes of intense screaming continued, a red fog began to envelope the entire building. Suddenly without warning, silence broke and the only sound that could be heard was the demon's attack on the village outside. All waited in silence and stillness, too scared to move or speak even as the crimson fog began to dissipate. After a few minutes though, one of the higher guards gained his composure.

"Alright, I think its safe." Not a moment after the words were spoken did the sound bending metal and crumbling concrete echo of the dark hall. A blink of an eye later a red blur dashed by, leaving tornado force winds and burning hot fire in it wake. Another second later, the doors to the building were ripped off their hinges. And just like that, the red blur was gone, leaving half the building destroyed, many of the guards injured and Naruto's cell empty.

* * *

Hinata battled relentlessly against the demon horde, despite the evident exhaustion that was taking over. She, as well as every available ninja, had been fighting since dawn, when the demons had first striked. So far, both sides seemed to be at a stand still, neither gaining nor losing the upper hand. The ninja of Konaha, although taken completely off guard, had managed to dispatch large numbers of shinobi ranking from genin up to ANBU. This made it so they outnumbered the demon horde twenty to one. But what the demons lacked in numbers they made up for in power. Forget the fire breathing and aerial advantage; each demon had rows of sharp teeth, talons on their hind legs as well as a whip like tail. One demon alone at the very least took ten to fifthteen ninja just to take down, mind you, a few casualties of course occurred.

Thankfully, Hinata remembered some of the weaknesses that Naruto had exploited during his battle with the demons. Information that she was now trying to distribute amongst the other battling ninja in Konaha, followed closely by an escort team of four or so. Sadly, even with her working franticly to get this information to the other ninja, the casualties of the village continued to climb.

Even though she had an important mission to accomplish, she couldn't help but be distracted by the destruction and chaos occurring around the village. Due to the sudden and swift attack of the demons, the usual plan during an invasion didn't cut it and instead many civilians were scrambling to get out of the village. Sadly, some of the smaller demons that were the off spring Naruto had referred to as "kits" found the panicking civilians the perfect fast food. In fact, as Hinata jumped over a large alley filled with running civilians, she saw a blur of yellow out of the corner of her eye. A scream broke out from the crowd followed by two distinct cries.

As the sound of the mother and child broke out, Hinata was already sprinting through the crowd towards the demon. Pushing chakra into her feet, Hinata speed up until she was directly under the demon and the screaming child. In one great burst, she rocketed up and grabbed the demon by the tail. Before it could even react, Hinata sliced the wing with a kunai and quickly let go, grabbing the child as she did so. The screeching of the demon echoed in Hinata's ears like a hallow victory as she landed and shooed the child along to his mother.

"Hinata-sama." She turned to see her escorts rushing, stopping to catch their breath. "Are you alright?" said one in a pant.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just couldn't let…" she stopped when another cry of terror broke out and suddenly, a wave of people began stampeding towards the main gate. Hinata and her escorts began to scan the skies in fear. But they were unprepared though when a dark shape zipped around a building and a giant taloned foot grabbed Hinata from were she was standing. All in the blink of an eye.

"Hinata-sama!" an escort cried hopelessly as the great black demon carried her higher into the skies. Hinata struggled against the creature's grasp, only to find it unmovable. She was lucky though, for it was only holding her in its "hand" rather than in its talons that could easily cause fatality. But she knew that didn't make the situation any less dangerous.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the forms of two other black demons fly up next to the first. They were making horrible screeching noises and snapping and growling at Hinata's captor, seeming desperate to get at her. A moment later, Hinata found herself free falling after one demon had slammed into the first and dislodged her from its grasp. But she wasn't falling for long for the third demon suddenly made a dive for her and caught her in an instant. As it made a mad flight with its prize, the other two suddenly dived bomb it and shook Hinata out of its grasp. Suddenly it was a made dogfight as the demons fought for Hinata who was being thrown around like a rag doll.

The fray seemed to drag on for hours and Hinata began to lose consciousness. But she quickly snapped awake when a sharp pain shot along her torso as one of the demons dug its talons into her sides. Looking down, she saw the blood flowing down in a stream, staining her clothes and to talons of her captor. The sounds of the demons increased in volume at the sight of her blood and it took Hinata a moment to realize that her own voice was blending with them.

As she lost more blood, he thoughts became fuzzy and disorientated. The last her mind began to register was the sound of a fourth, piercing roar. Maybe another demon had joined the fight. Must be because she saw a flash of red and an intense heat pass by her face that could only be fire. She vaguely registered the loosening of the demon's talons, and then falling before a pair of arms settled around her. By then everything had gone black.

* * *

The escorts watched on as what looked like a red comet, slowly drift back to earth with Hinata in its grasp. No words were said as they rushed off in the direction of were the thing was going to land. But not with out caution for, after all, it did just take down three demons with what looked like no effort.

Soon, they found themselves atop a building with the thing floating only a few feet away. It landed with out a sound and slowly placed down the unconscious girl before moving towards her injury.

"Take your hands off Hinata-sama!" It was an escort who shouted out in defiance before cowering back into the others. The creature obviously had heard his outcry for it slowly turned to face the group. Its face, masked behind skeletal canine helmet, seemed to have no distinct features except for a pair of red piercing eyes and massive jaws. The teeth gleamed white as the beast snared and its spiky fur stood up on end. The flaming tail behind it suddenly split into six separate ones, all dancing and twisting in a flame like pattern. Its clawed hands and feet dug into the roof, creating dents and cracks in the tile. Everything about it should have seemed frightening but…

"You're… you're the container of the Kyuubi." Recognition sparked behind the red demon's eyes as the escort said these words and a malicious grin formed across the man's face. "Or should I say used to be. It seems that the demon brat has finally embraced his true heritage." A new snarl formed in the beast's throat as the man continued to taunt him. "And to think, that Hinata-sama spoke so highly of him. I now see why she is considered a failure amongst the Hyuugas." That was the straw that broke the camels back.

In a flash, the beast had the man hanging precariously over the side of the building with the red demon's clawed hand the only leverage.

"Now you listen here." The demon spoke in a gruff, growling voice with the tint of an echo in it. "I don't care if insult me twenty-four seven but the minute you speak badly about my friends, especially Hinata, I swear that I will personally see to it that you get devoured by the demon's offspring. You got that!" the man nodded anxiously. "Good." The red demon rather forcefully threw the man back towards the others.

"Now, listen closely cause i'm not going to repeat myself." The beasts' eyes set upon the group. "The battle that Konaha is currently fighting is a losing war. Even if it seems like we're winning, it won't last long when they release their trump card. There for, I need the four of you to get everyone, civilians and ninja alike, out of the village before sunset. Do you understand?" a chorus of Hai came from the four before he signaled them to take off. But one remained behind.

"What about Hinata-sama?" At these words, the demon quietly returned to Hinata's side.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her." His voice was soft and gentle, containing none of the coarseness it had previously. The man nodded then disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the two alone.

"Hinata." He shook her lightly, seeing how unconscious she really was. When all she did was groan, he set about healing her wounds and replenishing her chakra before she woke up. The sounds of the invasion resonated all around him as he worked, but he tuned them out, only listening for any sign that a demon might approach the general area. Another groan came from Hinata and her eyes fluttered awake. She gasped when she say the demon leaning over her. She scrambled to get away and scream but the demon held her down as he came face to face with her.

"Hinata, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." She stopped and starred at the beast in confusion.

"How do you know my name?" She stared at it, looking the beast over in an attempt to recognize any features. It was around the size of Akamaru, except with longer limbs and hand like appendages that made it look somewhat human. It was covered in short blood red fur, except for the top of his head, which grew out in an orange main. On top of that fur was what looked like a skeletal armor giving it a frightening appearance. Its face had a sleek but large muzzle, three dark lines on each cheek running up to the muzzle like whiskers. It eyes were as red as its fur, piercing into her with the slits for pupils. But around the pupil, barely noticeable even close up, there was a fine ring of deep blue.

"Na…Naruto…kun?" he nodded slowly, his long ears pressing against his skull as he let out a soft whine. In an instant she rapped her arms around him, barring her head into his surprisingly soft fur. Naruto was too shocked at first to react, but he soon welcomed the gesture by rapping his tails around her and laying a clawed hand on her back.

"Naruto-kun, what happened to you?" her voice was muffled in his fur but his ears pricked none-the-less at her voice.

"That is a long story and I don't have the time to tell you." He said right next to her ear before he pushed her away to look her firmly in the eyes. "Listen, Hinata, things are about to get a lot worse. These demons are only the first wave, weakening the village's defenses before they send in the final front. It shouldn't be long now before that happens so I need you to get out of the village before it does. Do you understand?"

"Yes but, Naruto what about you? Please tell me your not going to fight them by yourself."

"I have to, Hinata. If I don't, who will?" Sorrow filled the girls eyes as she stared up at Naruto. She pressed herself all the more into him, knowing that this might be the last time she would every get to do so, enjoying the warmth that only Naruto could give her. Tears slowly trickled down her face but they quickly melted into the fur, unnoticed by Naruto. "But don't worry Hinata, when all the fighting is done, I'll find my way back to you and tell you everything."

"Really? You promise?" A grin formed across his foxy face.

"Of course Hinata, I promise. And you know what a promise means to me." She nodded as she leaned up and pressed a kiss to where his cheek would be. She then pulled away abruptly, blushing all over the face and refusing to look at him. She didn't even see the flustered look or the heat coming from Naruto's cheeks, which would have been a blush if it weren't for the red fur.

"Thank you." They exchanged one final hug before they broke apart.

"Goodbye, Hinata." He said softly before disappearing in a burst of wind. Hinata hesitated a moment, whispering her last words on the wind, "Goodbye, my Naruto-kun." before she took off towards the gates. She tried to keep her mind off the empty streets she passed or the sounds of the demon's attack. She didn't realize she had made it to her destination until she was scaling the boundary wall. Stopping at the top, she gave one final glance at the broken village before turning to the forest beyond.

A heartbeat later, an enormous crack appeared in the mountain before it erupted into a cloud of smoke and fire. A moment later, a large form shot from the hole, large black wings flapping to keep it a lift. It settled a moment later near the mountain it had immerged from, the smaller demons flocking to it and squawking like birds. The demon lifted its head back and let out a deafening roar that silenced the thunder as hellish fire streamed from its mouth. The war had officially begun.

* * *

Random fact for the chapter:

"Red sky at night, sailors delight,

Red skies in morning, sailors take warning."

Its an old saying for sailors, it means that if the sky is red in the morning a storm is coming and they should stay ashore till it passes. But if the skies are red at night (or maybe it was twilight) then it would be excellent sailing weather, with far winds and calm seas. Maybe the ninja's of Konaha should have followed this old saying.

Anyway, to review or not review, that is a question entirely up to you on answering because I have done everything in my power to get you to due just that. So yeah, see you in a month (maybe sooner or later depending on number of reviews) till then, Sayonara!


	9. Chapter 9

OK, well I'm now completely lost. I mean, five reviews last chapter yet no reviews for chapter seven. Did I say something to prompt this? I mean I'm so happy I could do a happy dance (in public). Well any way, thanks to dikshtri for reviewing out of the three day update period and for some much needed advice. It helped alot! :D

Plus, has any one read the resent manga chapters. Man talk about confusing half the time.

Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Twitch and Spaz, who just resently celebrated the second anniversary for there amazing Fanfiction, Pause.

And it also goes out to ObsidianSickle, who will be soon finishing a just as amazing Fanfiction.

You guys are inspiration to me and all writers out there.

Alright that's all I wanted to say and remember to review when you have the chance. Sayonara!

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Chapter 9: The End

* * *

Tsunade dodged another stream of fire that came from the demons mouth, muttering curses under her breath. It was hard enough to battle these things without the constant worry of being burned but the fact that they were just as stubborn as Lee made things all the more difficult. Her hands fell into précis signs and the heel of her foot came down on the earth just as the beast shot another stream of fire in her direction. The wall of earth barely came up in time to block the onslaught of fire and even then she worried it wouldn't hold. She held strong to her stance and her hands were still kept in the same hand sign that she had summoned the jutsu with. Finally, the fire stopped but Tsunade was barely able to jump out of the way as it rammed the terrain wall.

Tsunade landed thirty feet away, gripping her shoulder as a large strait cut bleed down her back. She had managed to avoid the teeth and claws but she had miss read the tail and had been marked as the jumped out of the way, the tail acting more like a whip and cutting a scar into her back. Before she could do anything about her new injury, the demon had rounded around and was coming in for the second strike. Tsunade stood her ground, one hand fisting at her side and the other gripping her bloody shoulder. Suddenly a flash of white and black zoomed through the air. The demon had no time to react as Jiraiya and a small team of ANBU drove a kunai through the demon's throat, killing it almost instantly. Tsunade smirked before she tended to the nasty cut, Jiraiya and the ANBU walking up to check on their Hokage.

"One down, one hundred to go." Said Jiraiya as he came up next to his old teammate, "Excluding the big one of course."

"Yeah," she replied as she finished healing her wound, casting her gaze at the dark form hovering over her precious village. Many of the smaller demons were flying in its wake, gliding and hovering on the thermals coming off its wings. "That one needs to be taken care of before it decides to make a move."

"That may be true but the question is how?" She said nothing as she peered at the faces of the previous Hokages, cracks forming over there sorrowful faces. She looked over the ruins of Konaha, buildings broken and burned from the attack. Finally, she looked at the wary faces of the ANBU unit and Jiraiya, waiting for an order. Tsunade knew what she had to due but it was going to be hard for her to except her fate.

"I'll fight it, hopefully I'll be able to kill it or fatally injure it."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Please, as Hokage it is my job and my honor to die defending this village and its people."

"But not always alone." It was Jiraiya who spoke this time, "You don't have to face this challenge alone. I am just as powerful as you and can help during the fight. At the very least, let this old man go into battle with his teammate and old friend one last time." The sad look in the toad sannin's eye was too sad to turn away.

"Alright, but promise me that if things get bad and show no sign of victory, I want you to run for it. You need to survive so that if I parish, you can some day avenge me." He smiled and nodded as Tsunade turned to the ANBU. "Thank you, ANBU. I feel so honored to have had you worked for me."

"Iie, Hokage-sama, it should be us that feel so honored. Regardless of what happens, are loyalty is still to you." She smiled and could feel a few spare tears begin to leak from her eyes. But she pushed them away before they could truly make themselves known.

"Alright, ANBU. Dismissed!" and just like that, they were gone. Tsunade barely registered her body moving off to her fate, feeling like she was in some type of trance. The pleasure from building hopping was none existent and the wind from the run strange against her body. But the trance broke when a large calloust hand grabbed hers and held. She looked up in alarm at the smiling face of Jiraiya; the gentle and reassuring look nothing like his normal face. But, it was a welcome newness for she only had time to squeeze his hand back and mutter a thank you before a squad of demons suddenly bared down on them.

* * *

Naruto stopped for a moment as his ears cocked this way and that, honing in on a sound. He was absolutely amazed at how well his hearing and other senses had become since infusing his chakra with "Youko's" becoming superb beyond belief. Before, Naruto would have the hardest time hearing what his teammates said over the earpiece on missions. He would have to squint his eyes to see over great distances. And forget smell, the only thing he could find with his was ramen. Now, he could hear the stone and wood of a building crack under the immense weight of the structure as a fire cracked and kindled in a third story apartment. See the soft glows of embers or the raging inferno of a wildfire. Smell the various types of smoke, most burning of wood, some damp but most dry. This all a good 200 meters away. Man, no wonder Kiba or used to always use to brag about his superior nose or how Sasuke seemed so proud all the time about being a Uchiha. Naruto was so impressed that he didn't know how he would ever go back to the dull senses of a human.

'_Focus Kit. You have a job to do.'_ He shook his head and growled in frustration as he attempted to pick up on the sound again. He didn't have any other choice for though his sight and smell were superb, the smoke and fire obstructed his eyes and nose. But thankfully, his hearing still remained in top shape for he had just picked up the sound of beating wings, roar of fire being ignited and the fall of quickened feet. There was no doubt in his mind that a shinobi and demon were battling it out.

Wasting no time he leaped from the top the building, it finally collapsing from the blast of wind left in his wake. He ignored it though, his ears focused on the sound and his feet keeping in stride as he flew through the village like a crimson wind.

'Only a bit further.' Were his thoughts as approached the battle. A sudden jolt went up his spine when the sound of cracking wood and stone intensified and there was a roar of triumph from the demons. Naruto barely had time to take in the scene as he dashed around the corner: two figures in the ruins of a building, one trapped and the other on defense as a demon bared down on them. Going into full sprint, he focused chakra to the bottom of his front feet and funneling it into his claws. Spinning it like mini Rasengans, the wind formed around the claws creating a tornado effect that tore up the ground as he ran. Passing the two figures, he leaped at the demon, pushing his claws in front of him to meet it. The demon attempted to avoid Naruto's attack as it turned its head away but was unsuccessful as the claws scrapped along the side of its neck.

"Kaze Tsume!" Naruto shouted as his attack made contact right below the armpit, near where the demon's heart would be. As the demon fell, Naruto aimed the other Kaze Tsume at the demon flying in the others wake. The attack made contact with back as the demon attempted to flee, breaking the spine instantly. Naruto landed lightly on his feet while the demons crashed to the ground: broken and lifeless. Naruto, still wary of the demons presence, turned towards the trapped form of Tsunade and began to walk towards her. But he was blocked when Jiraiya stepped in front with a kunai in hand.

"Stay back demon or I'll make sure it will be your last move." Naruto starred at his sensei for a minute before a growling chuckle broke from his throat.

"You honestly think you can stop me? Where you're obviously outmatched in strength, speed and skill? I have to say Ero-sennin, that is probably the bravest and most foolish thing I've ever seen you do. Well that and you attempting to peep on Tsunade-obaa-chan when she bathes." Jiraiya faltered for minute as he barely made out the voice under the gruffness of a demon's.

"Naruto?" A foxy smile broke across his face as he now approached without worry.

"That's right Ero-sennin." He reached down and without any effort, lifted the entire ruble off the Hokage. Jiraiya helped her to her feet as the trio starred at the demon hordes.

"How are we going to defeat them all?" Tsunade's voice came out in a firm whisper.

"We aren't, you two going to leave and I'll take on Akuma and his followers alone." Tsunade and Jiraiya turned to Naruto in shock. "I know what your thinking, but I'm the only one powerful enough to battle Akuma and win. Besides, Tsunade-obaa-chan is injured and you're starting to run out of chakra Ero-sannin."

"Naruto, I can't…"

"Yes you can. Now go."

"Not without the necklace." His eyes stared at the now worn looking Hokage whose hand was now presented before him. His clawed hand reached up and grabbed the First Hokages necklace under the layers of all his fur. She had promised that he could keep it if he one day became Hokage and would take it back only if he died before keeping his promise. Did she honestly believe that this was the end and he would back out of his promise to one day become Hokage?

"I'm sorry Obaa-san… but I intend to hold onto this.... regardless of the outcome of this battle." Her eyes as well as Jiriaya's became pools of sorrow and he found the strength to pull out a famous smile.

"Oh come on, you think some giant bat wana-be is going to stop Naruto Uzamaki. I'll tell you what, once I get back from the battle, I'll hand over the necklace if you hand over the Hokage's hat. Deal." He held out his hand, still caring a brimming, fang filled smile.

How could she refuse that all too familiar smile without feeling a need to keep it on his face? And so she found her self shaking his hand and placing a kiss on his forehead, just like before. He then turned to his old sensei.

"You take care of her, Ero-sennin. I don't want you to stop for anything until Tsunade's in safe hands. I don't care if a group of fangirls show up and offer to assist you in your "research", you keep going until your both safe. Got it." A smile broke across his face as he hastily rubbed the tears from his eyes.

"What's the matter? Your not going soft on me now, are you?" the Toad Sannin shook his head and felt his voice falter as he replied.

"No, it just that… I can't believe that I'm losing another student… one I considered family… one I taught all my morals to and had such high hopes for… one who could have had a great destiny if only he didn't have to lay out his life for the sake of the village… and against a demon none-the-less." The tears were now falling freely from his eyes as he desperately tried to wipe them away. Naruto felt his heart wrench into an uncomfortable position at the unfamiliar sight of his sensei's emotional distress.

"A friend once told me, "Time is an illusion and so is death, and hence the two must keep repeating." I'm not completely sure what it means but I do know that if things like that are so predictable, then I should have died ten times over by now. So don't expect this battle to go the way you expect it to." He finalized with a confident grin.

"Does that mean I should hold all my bets?" the two nearly jumped, completely forgetting Tsunade's presence.

"Well, in your case, I hope you bet for the demon to win." A small laugh was exchanged before a horrible roar pierced the air. The three were suddenly reminded of the chaos around them.

"You better get going now." Naruto voiced, suddenly sounding more demon than human.

"But Naruto…"

"GO!" They took off and Naruto watched them leave with sorrow and longing in his heart. "It had to be done." He told himself, gathering his courage as he jumped onto the highest standing building.

"Akuma!" his voice rang out, echoing across the vacant village as the great beast jerked to attention at the sound of his name.

"**Who called me? What impudent mortal dare speak my name?"** Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine as the dark, menacing voice echoed out, but he held strong.

"I did, Akuma!" his head turned towards the small fox form standing atop a building. "I, Naruto Uzumaki, challenge you to a duel to the death. Who ever loses relinquishes the village and there life, the terms I set for this battle." Akuma began to lower himself from the sky as he asked the next question.

"**How does a mere mortal like you know the terms of demon society?"** Naruto didn't respond and continued to glare at the demon.

"It doesn't matter how I know it. Are you going to except my challenge or not." By this point, Akuma was only few feet off the ground and promptly landed, casting up huge amounts of dust and ash. All was silent for a moment until Akuma's voice rang out again.

"**I accept!"** Suddenly, a fireball shot from the dust cloud, forcing Naruto to jump as the building he had been standing on turned to ash instantly.

"_Watch out kit!"_ Naruto barely avoided the next fireball that came his way. When his paws hit ground he sprinted at Akuma who was preparing another fireball.

"**Not so fast."** Another fireball, smaller than the last two, shot at Naruto. Building up chakra in his tail, he spun his body so the fireball bounced off the tails and ricocheted back at Akuma. It hit, but that didn't ease Naruto in the slightest, especially sense he just lost some of his tail armor, bits of tailbone none scattered around. A low chuckle broke out as the smoke cleared, revealing Akuma unharmed.

"**Well, congratulations, boy, that's the first time I've ever been hit by my own attack."** His voice lost its amusement and took on a darker tone. **"But don't think you'll get lucky the second time around."**

"Don't worry, I won't cause I intend to take you out with one last move." Naruto ran at Akuma full speed, running on his back legs instead of all four. A small light sparked in one clawed had as the chakra began to form Rasengan. His other hand in a seal formation to draw more of Kyuubi's chakra out.

'Youko, is the technique ready yet.' Akuma was now firing at Naruto rapidly as he advanced. His body was shifting as a seventh tail was added and his body began to expand.

"_Almost. Are sure you want to do this, kit?"_ the Rasengan began to shimmer as the wind chakra molded and spinned around it. An eighth tail was already forming as he doubled in size though he was still dwarfed by Akuma.

"Positive." Naruto jumped up to meet Akuma just as the Rasengan flared red and a final ninth tail formed. Akuma lunged at Naruto but missed narrowly. Pushing his attack forward to meet the enemy, only a single thought escaped.

'Youko, in case this doesn't work, tell every one… I'm sorry.' An absolute silence broke for a moment where all Naruto could hear was his own beating heart. The next was filled with the sound of the attack making impact with the chest area and the screams of Akuma's agony. Naruto continued to push chakra into the attack but was unable to keep it focused as his own clothes, armor, and skin began to get ripped away, starting from the wrist and working towards the elbow. Shards of bone embedded and cut at his skin and more of his clothing ripping off in shreds. He was sure that even his hair was being ripped away, his hiate going with it. His demonic Rasengan wavered up toward the shoulder before a mighty blast took out Akuma's right wing.

Naruto flew into the side of the mountain before falling just below the Hokage monuments. He could barely make out the sounds of Akuma or his followers own screeching cries as his mind began to haze over. He knew he was broken as small pangs of pain spiked through him from broken bones and imbedded armor but his whole body was growing steadily numer and colder. Youko's red chakra was completely gone, leaving him strangely empty. Despite these facts, Naruto felt at peace as he cast his gaze at the sky, lightning illuminating the Hokages faces. Though it was hard for the corners of his vision was blackening and the rain was now beginning to fall. Before he gave into the darkness, he looked up at the Hokages and swore he saw them weeping over their burning village. His dieing heart gave one final lurch, the only thing that went through his mind was.

'I only wish I could have kept my promise… Hinata-chan.'

* * *

Hinata and the rest of Konaha's surviving ninja waited nervously on a hillside around half a mile from the village. Though many lives had been lost in the invasion, the majority of the population had survived to escape the village. Unfortunately, many had escaped with at least one injury meaning that the sparse few medic-nin were now working over time to get every one healed. But this didn't matter to Hinata, who was the only ninja to escape without injury, for her mind was set on one person who had yet to join the group. The Nervousness was so intense that her whole body shaking and her hands ring and un-ring her jacket.

"Some ones coming." Hinata turned to see the guard next to her watching the forest incredulously. Activating her Byakugan to get a better look, she felt her heart flutter as she noticed the size of the chakra signature. That is until she realized that it was a group traveling together, a group of shinobi in fact now caring an injured one.

"Its okay." Said Hinata lightly as the group approached, "Its one of our own." She then turned back to view the burning village. When the group entered the camp, shoats of "It's the ANBU." Or "They brought the Hokage." And "She's been injured." Echoed around the camp but Hinata barely heard them. Her eyes now focused on what looked like a star in the dim light of the setting sun. She activated her Byakugan again to get a better look but found the distance too great. She could, however, make out the shape of the large demon and the strange light was glowing brighter. She hadn't realized that the light was moving until it sudden slammed into the demon, illuminating the deformed face before it combusted. Hinata shut her eyes when the light became too much, rubbing her eyes to get the stinging out. A heartbeat passed as the after math of the explosion flew through the camp, the wave of wind sweeping Hinata off her feet and slamming her into a tree. A silenced elapsed as many began to pick themselves up even Hinata found herself staggering to her feet. Rubbing her head as she cast her gaze over the expanse forest, she could barely make out the lines of trees as the sun set further on the horizon and the swirling storm clouds enclosed the sky. Hinata stared in the direction of the village, but could see nothing for rain was beginning to fall and the plows of smoke made it impossible to see.

"Naruto." Worry tinted in her voice as she watched it all from a distance. A streak of movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her as she scanned the trees. Although she could not see it, she could defiantly make out the weak chakra signature approaching at a steady rate. Running down the hill at top speed she hoped beyond hoped that this time it was the person she was waiting for. When she got the bottom, she found other shinobi waiting and she fell into line beside them. Hinata could feel her heart beating away in her chest as she saw the bushes move and a figure step into the clearing. She felt it fall in despair as the Toad Sannin, Jiraiya, walked up to the group looking sorrowful. All the shinobi gathered around him and began to escort him to where all the medics were. Many bombarded him with questions, often repeating each other and receiving no answer from the tried Nin. But none asked the question that Hinata was anxious to know.

"Where's Naruto?" Jiraiya looked up at the young Hyuuga and the others promptly went quiet. Jiraiya rose from his spot and approached her, digging in his robe.

"I… I'm sorry. When we... when Tsunade got hurt… Naruto said he would stay… give us a chance to escape… for everyone to escape." He then took an item out and dropped it into the kuniochi's hand. "In the end… he managed to defeat the demon… but at the cost of his own life." Hinata recognized the item instantly: the tattered and cracked hiate of Naruto Uzumaki. Hinata shook her head, stepping back in an attempt to calm herself of the situation.

"No… no. It can't be… he can't be…" tears formed at the edges of her eyes and began to fall as her body tremored uncontrollably.

"Hinata-sama." A man reached out but she took off running in an almost desperate attempt to escape the reality. Memories of Naruto's promise and smiling face replayed in her mind making her heart ache all the more. She reached the top of the hill and scanned the area with her Byakugan. She saw no sign of Naruto's form returning. She dropped to her knees as the tears fell freely.

"Naruto…" her words were drowned out by the lightning and thunder that clashed across the sky as it unloaded its burden. The last bits of sun finally disappeared below the horizon as the entire world wept at the sacrifice and lose of one brave shinobi.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, hello, long time no see. I bet you all thought I'd gone and died on you or something. But fear not my loyal readers, I'm back and better then ever.

Any who, I betting you are all wondering why I disappeared for more then a year and haven't posted anything since the last update to DS,SR. And even if you don't, I'm going to tell you any way XP.

OK, to start with, I was incredibly busy for the past year or so. And when I say busy, I mean BUSY! I had to get ready for a new school, got stuck in some difficult classes, got a new job (which strangely enough was the least busy part of my year), had to write a huge number of 2 to 6 paged papers every week or so, not to mention all the text book reading I had to keep up on. Add in family and friends into the mix and you get a very tired okami at the end of the day :(.

Plus, I've been trying to get a few new art projects done, some of them are for the museum that I volunteer for (awesomeness by the way).

The second reason I haven't been active is because of the lack of insperation. This is mostly due to the drain that has occurred from my busy schedule over the last year. It also doesn't help that I've been getting bored of Naruto recently. It's not that I'm starting to come to dislike Naruto, far from it, it's still my favorite anime. I just need a bit of a break from it, at least for a little while. It's kind of like having one flavor of ice cream day after day, and I need to try a different flavor or a different dessert ;). So if any one has any recommendations on a good anime/manga/TV show, feel free to tell me I'm fairly open to suggestions. The only restriction I'd place on the subject is avoid vampire related subjects (I'm not into that kind of thing).

Ok, enough about my life, time to talk about the Fanfic. As I'm sure you are now all aware of, this story is made up of multiple parts. Part 1 is finished (duh!) and was the longest of all the parts and there are still two more parts to go before this story concludes (which could take a while to type up).

The good news, though, is that more than half of part two is almost finished being typed up which means that I can start work on part three soon and hopefully finish this story. When everything is finally typed up, you should all be seeing more updates. This mostly thanks to me forcing myself to get a few chapters done before posting anything. Hopefully, DS,SR will be finished before school starts up again.

Alright, I think I've wasted enough of your time and I leave you to read the new chapter in peace. Enjoy and I'll see you at the bottom.

* * *

Demon Storm, Shinobi Rain

Part 2

Chapter 10: Remembrance and Renewal

* * *

A dark, clouded sky cast a dark shadow upon the land, filling the air with a deep sense of sorrow. On the darkened landscape, few sounds were heard, the blackened and broken forest seemed almost vacant. Yet even with sorrowful state that the landscape was in, life continued on.

Deep within the forests near the River country, hiding between the burnt and charcoaled trees, a deer cautiously poked its head out. Peering around the forest before casting its eyes to the cloudy skies, it brought its head back to hide behind the tree. Then, very slowly, he as well as the rest of a small herd, made there way out into a small clearing.

Cautiously, they began to scavenge for grass under the soot while one buck with broken antlers kept watch. Soon, though, the desperation for a good meal drove the skinny and malnutritioned animals to drop there guard when they found that particular spot to be rich in small shouts of grass. Even the deer on watch was unable to stop itself from gobbling down a few tender shoots. This, unfortunately was the very opening that one predator was looking for.

In a flash, a large canine had jumped from the underbrush and tackled a deer to the ground. A cry of fear broke form the animal before the wolf like creature silenced it with a bite to the jugular. The others bolted towards the trees in a desperate act to escape. A figure jumped from the shadows and tackled a single deer. In one fluid motion, the shadow had slit the deer's throat and had tackled another in an instant. The kunai flashed as the slim, soot covered figure prepared to kill in a single motion. A small sound from its right forced it to cast its pale eyes away from its prey. A gasp was heard and the defense was dropped long enough for the doe to break free and make a run for with her twin fawns at her heels. A sigh was heard as the dark figure sat up and dusted the dirt off her soot-covered clothes. She then turned towards the large, gray canine as he approached with deer in fangs.

"Come on Akamaru, let's gut the deer quickly and get back to the others. We don't want to attract unwanted attention."

* * *

Hinata and Akamaru walked back to camp, a single deer strapped to their backs and a few small pheasants in hand. Soon, the black trees opened up into a small clearing sheltered by unusually large conifers. Every one was huddled around a small fire, apparently eating. The small conversations that were going around the fire suddenly stopped when the pair walked into the clearing. Fear was apparent in their faces, but that quickly turned to hunger at the sight of the freshly skinned and gutted food strapped to the returning hunters back.

"Sorry I'm late." Hinata's small voice broke the silence and seemed to help settle the atmosphere, "It took a while to track a herd and set a successful trap. But look, I brought pheasants as well." That seemed to break the awkward silence and soon every one was around Hinata, patting her on the back and thanking her. Hinata relaxed as they made room for her at the fireplace. Soon, every one was talking and laughing as they set the food to cook. Every one that is except one.

"Hey, Hinata were you headed off to?" Hinata had been making her way towards the tree line when she had been called.

"Just going out for a little walk. I won't be gone long." With that, she continued her way through the trees. The sounds of laughter and talk faded after a while, leaving Hinata alone with her thoughts.

'How long…' the distant thought called from her mind while she watched the dark clouds above, 'How long has it been since…' she couldn't bring herself to think further on that thought, it was far too painful. Instead, she focused on walking, distracting herself from unneeded thoughts. But even that became useless attempt to escape her problems as she found herself suddenly at the ridge of a hill.

She stopped and stared at the open expanse, hoping that might calm her mind. It was supposedly spring in the Rain Country but it was almost impossible to tell. The constant expanse of gray stretched out from horizon to horizon, distinguished only by the charred trees and the smoky clouds. It wasn't just in Rain country but practically the entire ninja world was now covered in ash, charred remains and endless cloudy days. And it was all thanks to…

A twig snapped and Hinata broke out of her thoughts as her Byakugan activated instantly. But it turned out to be no threat but rather the opposite.

"Shino-kun? Akamaru-kun? What are you doing here?" Hinata watched as her two remaining teammates stepped from the trees and looked at her with wary gazes.

"I think it would be obvious," spoke Shino, "that two of Hinata-sama's closest friends would wish to be with her as she contemplated her darkest emotions." A soft smile formed on Hinata's face as she shook her head.

"There's no need. I just wanted to get away and scan the area for danger." Shino stared at her and Hinata noticed that one of his eyebrows rose a bit above his sunglasses. He wasn't convinced. The smile slipped and a sigh passed from her lungs.

"I was thinking about him." Shino and Akamaru walked up to stand at each side of her as she spoke.

"Who?" Even though he was already sure he knew the answer, Shino felt he needed to get her to start talking, even if he wasn't much of a talker himself he felt it was for her own good.

"Who do you think?" Her voice was barely above a whisper when she looked up at him. "Naruto-kun." Shino nodded as he cast his gaze to the horizon.

"I thought as much." Shino went silent, staring at the constant line of black and gray. "Do you want to talk about it?" Hinata said nothing at first but finally.

"Alright." She took a deep breath, seeming to attempt to calm herself as if preparing for a battle instead of a talk with a friend. "Do you remember the last mission we went on with Naruto?"

"Are you referring to the one where we first learned of the demons and were Naruto was persecuted for being mentally unstable?" She felt a sting go through her heart as he spoke it so simply without any emotion towards her past crush but she nodded nonetheless.

"I was just thinking of how I should have done something."

"From my stand point, I'd say you did everything necessary and optional for the benefit of the mission and the team."

"I mean for Naruto." She felt another sting at his name but went on, "I knew something was bothering him, even before the mission. Even though I did insist on him telling me the truth and he slowly revealed much of his inner secrets, I still felt like he kept something from me."

"I doubt he did." She looked up at him with confusion, "near the end, it seemed that he shared a close bond with you and had a great urgency about him when you were hurt or in parrel. And the fact that you were willing to listen and understand his opinion and feelings surely had an impression on him. In conclusion, I think that he felt the greatest support and comfort from your person. Perhaps why he made the choice of sacrifice for your, as well as the rest of the villages benefit." Hinata nodded and felt some comfort from his words. But still, it was hard for her to admit that he sacrificed himself just so she could live.

The memory of it all seemed to rush back to her in a violent motion, much like how a great wave rushes upon the shore. She could remember all too well how the sudden news of his death was announced. How hurt and alone she had felt as the tears and rain continued to fall around her, setting the reality of it. Naruto had died and with it, so did the world.

Everything transpired down hill at that point.

The next morning, Hinata returned to the campsite, finding everyone discussing the next plan of action. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement for there was no true agreement on anything. But eventually, it was decided that the villagers as a whole would leave the area, but in small pockets. During this time, Hiarashi Hyuuga had approached her and insisted upon her journeying with the clan to a secret hideaway were the Hyuugas could remain safe during the inevitable chaos and warring that was to take place in the world. Hinata had almost bent under her father's command but when she remembered Naruto, she found the strength to speak against him and insist upon staying to watch over her friends. Grudgingly, he agreed but only if a strong branch member stayed with her to keep her safe. And so thus, with Neji volunteering to look after Hinata, her father, her sister and the rest of the clan headed off to find this "safe house" away from the warring world.

Hinata had not heard word of them since that day and she wondered half the time if they were still alive. She wouldn't be surprised if they weren't for one of the first rules that she had learned in the new world was clearly broken by the traveling clan: large groups attract trouble. Many Konaha refuges had learned this the hard way as they continued their travels. Whether it be starvation, betrayal, departure or even demon attack, much of the group Hinata had been with in the beginning was now gone. It now consisted of Hinata, Akamaru, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Shizune, Tsunade, Kakashi and Sai with Jiraiya sometimes joining the ranks. But even with such a small group (which was actually big in comparison with other groups) it was getting rather hard to supple for them all.

Within a few days after the successful invasion of Konaha, the demons had set their sights on the rest of the world. Bit by bit, they slowly concurred the rest of the world; only avoiding islands far out to sea and flat land with turbulent winds. As there path of tyranny swept the world by storm, a path of destruction was left behind. Forests were burned almost to ash as well as fields of rice and others food items. Livestock was stolen and killed by demon raiders and many large villages were reduced to ruble. Food and protection became scarce and most of the human population was forced to take up the life Hinata now led: constantly on the move, searching for your next meal and shelter. Ninja had it easier with superior tracking abilities and a means to defend themselves but still they suffered.

Everyday was a struggle to get another meal or to find clean water. Everyday the fear of attack from raiders or worse, demons ending the life of a friend kept one watching your back. Everyday another new obstacle would become apparent whether it be the possibility of meeting strangers desperate for protection and food or finding a new safe place to rest your head for the night. Days of this routine had passed by in a flash and before she knew it, Hinata was now standing at the end of five long years of molding into a resilient young kuniochi of twenty. If Naruto or any of the clan could see Hinata today, they would have a hard time recognizing her.

"I guess your right, Shino-kun. Its just…" her voice wavered and hot tears formed in her eyes before she pushed them away. She had promised the day Naruto had died that she would cry no more tears. After all, the day she had cried her last tears, so had the world; rumor had it that not a single drop of rain had fallen sense the day of Naruto's death. A nudge from her side and a hand on her shoulder made it easier to push her sadness away and feel a bit better.

"Arigato, Shino-kun, Akamaru-kun. I think I'd like to get back to the group." Shino nodded in response as the three friends made there way back towards the campfire and the warm company of friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, stretching far to the east, miles of small wooded forest slowly turned into great expanses of tall proud trees. Great barren and blackened branches thickly interlaced together, creating a netting over the forest floor. Some trees had fallen and were leaning on there neighbor or had toppled the tree next to them. Regardless, it seemed a safe place to be, far from the dangers of the world.

But sadly, that was far from the case. In all other places, even with the devastation and tragedy, there had been small signs of life. Where bits of twigs and budding grass had sprouted, deer were found scavenging. Where the bodies of trees had fallen and decayed and the roots had become exposed, boars had found a meal. Where the bits of seeds nuts and berries had some how managed to form, the songs of birds and the chattering of squirrels could be heard. It was different here though. Even with all the untouched morsels of food scattered along the forest, not a sound nor sight of any creature could be found and for good reason.

Leaving the forest behind, we travel on towards the east and the continuous veil of black and gray. In moments, a mountain rises out from the horizon followed by a flattened valley of charred and broken shapes. It soon becomes evident that it's not a mountain and valley but rather the broken and concurred remains of a village. Further off, a true mountain rises in the distance, but it is just as blackened and broken as the village. The scene, already frightening and dismal, becomes one of horror when the top of a cone shaped building suddenly stirs. A moment later, a great winged demon stretches out the bat like wings before it folds them back into their original position. Hundreds of others around suddenly become apparent as they follow the same action, some even flapping their wings before returning to a perch position. Its now obvious why no creature dare tread here: this is the domain of demons. One would have to be mad to have business here. Yet…

A flash in the village catches the eye of one demon and jolts it out of it's sleeping daze. It that cocks its head this way then that in curiosity before it seems to brush it off and attempts to settle in for a nice nap. That is until another flash of movement catches its full attention accompanied by a blur of colors: black with tints of red. The creature nudges a beast next to him who jumps and makes a sound similar to a yelp before coming to glare at its comrade. The first creature growls and whines, conveying his thoughts as its companion stares with tired, irritated eyes. When the first is done, the second looks from him to the spot that he saw the blur before it folds back its wings into a resting position, growling once in irritation. Put off by its companion's reaction and completely set on what he saw, the beast unfolds it great wings and takes off into the sky. It great shadow passes over the buildings as it flies on, scanning the area as it goes. If only it looked closer at the building it just passed then it would have noticed a cloak figure huddled next to the burnt ruins.

With the creature gone and the others asleep, the figure takes off. Keeping to the shadows at all times, the being is swift and silent as it travels on towards it destination. It stoops under the great shade of one of the still standing buildings in front of the remnants of the mountain and singularly familiar building. The figure looked up at the mountain in caution, starring at a particularly large hole next to the carved faces of five figures. There is no movement and so the figure takes off towards the shambles of the building, looking up once to see the symbol of "fire" printed on its structure. She slowed as she made her way inside, stopping to take in large gulps of air.

Grasping onto the sides of her hood, the figure lifted it to reveal beautiful crimson hair and a womanly face. Leaning against the frame of the house, she slides down its side until she is fully seated on the ash-covered floor. She had traveled far in the last few hours, having to go well beyond the demons hunting boundaries to get a decent meal. Normally she could go days, weeks or even months without food but eventually her body could no longer rely on her stores of fat and chakra to keep going and she would be forced to leave in search of nutrition. But it was still hard for every time she left, she worried one of those foul beasts would discover it and then…

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she managed to catch her breath and began to descend further into the depths of the building. It only took a moment before she found herself in the desired room. Relief and joy flooded through her when she saw that her treasured secret was safe. The secret in question was a most peculiar object indeed: what looked like a large, red egg, glowing strangely in the dim light. Walking up to it, she knelt next to it and began to arrange the various blankets and clothes spread around it more firmly next to the strange object, dusting off any dirt or ash off in single movement. Once done, she reached up and touched the top of the egg, rubbing it lightly as her eyes scanned it over with affection.

"I'm sorry I left," she whispered in a gentle voice, "I hope nothing happened while I was away." She pressed her ear into the smooth surface, relaxing and leaning into the warmth emanating from its core. Over time, she could make out the soft but strong beat of a heart. She stumbled back suddenly though when the egg rocked and jiggled violently. Watching from a distance, she waited for it to react again. A moment passed and it seemed as if it had only been her imagination. That is until it rocked again and a wide smile spread across her face.

'Could it be?' she thought in wonder 'Could it be that after five long years of secrecy and safeguarding, is it finally going to happen?' another rock from the egg seemed to answer her question and she took a seat in the ash and soot. The hours passed as the egg continued to rock and sway, some being more violent and the pause between being varied. As time continued to flow, the unseen sun set and darkness cast its hand over the village and the small room in which the woman continued to wait and watch in silence. The egg had suddenly stilled and apprehension crossed her face as the clouds slowly parted, bathing the egg in the light of a full moon. The faces of the Hokages peered through the opening in the roof, watching as a great crack formed at the top of the egg. She gasped in alarm as the crack widened down the eggs side. Strange red slim oozed from the openings and bits of shell began to fall off the surface. A great, violent rock split the egg into five separate pieces, leaving single silhouette in the middle of the mess.

The thing remained silent and motionless for a moment before it suddenly fell onto its side, gasping for air. Limbs became apparent as they stretched and flayed around haphazardly. Unexpectedly, the thing was not bird or reptile but seemed to be almost mammalian though its body was naked with only a main of hair sprouting from the head and clawed hands and feet. Still, despite the homeliness of the creature, the woman had tears flowing from her eyes and a large smile of love and joy was evident on her face.

Trembling from head to toe, she approached and knelt next to it. Pulling the cloak from her shoulders, she placed it over the now shivering body of the creature. Rubbing off some of the orange slime from the face and head, she beheld blonde hair and three dark lines upon each cheek.

"Welcome back, kit." She said in compassion as the creatures eyes opened, shining blue eyes staring up at her. "Welcome back indeed."

* * *

Well, the first chapter of part two is finished (Yeah!), now lets see if I can finish part two before the next update (cross your fingers every one).

Anyway, I should probably talk about the progress of my two other Fanfics. Well, Written in Sand has completely stopped in all progress and unless I suddenly get a burst of insperation for the series, I'm likely to hand over the story to some one else. As for Crossroads of a Wand and a Kunia, I am working on it but it is slow going. Until DS,SR gets finished up, don't expect any updates on my the crossover.

Now, about the story. I'm really pleased with how this chapter came out. The first three fourths of it really came out better then i expected, especially sense I was a in a bit of a rush in writing it. The only part I had trouble with was the last ten or so paragraphs. For some reason, I find myself laughing and feeling embarrassed every time read over that part. _

Hopefully, I got most of the grammatical problems, being as I must have read this chapter more then a dozen times. It also helps that I've been using my dad's advice (he by the way works professionally in the field of writing) to correct problems. He says to read out loud what you've written in order to catch the errors you have typed. I don't know about you but it really works for me. Even if you look foolish while doing it ^^'.

OK, putting all that aside…

Review, review,

Better then Alert or Fav.

I've gone crazy

Waiting to get one from you.

Joking, I'm joking . . . or am I. Anyways, leave a review if you feel like it. Until next time, Sayonara.


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